Citizenship · General

The officer dictates: 'The United States has fifty states.' How is 'fifty' correctly spelled?

Correct answer

fifty

  1. A fifteen
  2. B fifty
  3. C fivety
  4. D fiftey

Why this is the answer

FIFTY is spelled F-I-F-T-Y. The United States has fifty (50) states. Note the difference from FIFTEEN (15). Common misspellings to avoid: 'fivety,' 'fiftey.' Number words appear on the USCIS writing test in sentences about the country (50 states, 13 colonies/stripes). 'United States' should be capitalized (both words). Spelling number words and proper nouns correctly demonstrates the English writing ability required for naturalization.
Source: USCIS Writing Test — Fifty States