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Practice: Dictated sentence: 'America is a free nation.' The applicant writes: 'America is a free nashun.' Is this acceptable?

Correct answer

Borderline — 'nashun' is a phonetic spelling of 'nation' that might be accepted at the officer's discretion; however, 'nation' is a key civics word and should be spelled correctly — NATION: N-A-T-I-O-N

  1. A Yes — the meaning is clear even with the misspelling
  2. B Borderline — 'nashun' is a phonetic spelling of 'nation' that might be accepted at the officer's discretion; however, 'nation' is a key civics word and should be spelled correctly — NATION: N-A-T-I-O-N
  3. C No — only perfectly spelled sentences pass
  4. D Yes — any spelling that sounds similar passes

Why this is the answer

USCIS SPELLING STANDARDS: 'Nashun' is a phonetic approximation of 'nation' — it shows the applicant heard the word correctly but has a spelling gap. Whether this passes depends on the officer's judgment about whether it demonstrates basic English writing ability. RECOMMENDATION: Learn the correct spelling of key vocabulary words, especially nation (N-A-T-I-O-N), which appears frequently. USCIS writing guidelines note that minor spelling errors may be acceptable, but key civics vocabulary (nation, President, Congress, citizen) should be spelled correctly. When in doubt, practise until spelling is correct — it removes ambiguity from the evaluation.
Source: USCIS Citizenship Writing Test — Spelling Tolerance

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