Months Vocabulary: Practice Questions & Explanations

JULY is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under MONTHS. Correct spelling: 'J-U-L-Y' (only four letters). All 12 months are on the USCIS writing vocabulary list because dictated sentences often include dates and holidays: JANUARY (J-a-n-u-a-r-y); FEBRUARY (F-e-b-r-u-a-r-y); MARCH (M-a-r-c-h); APRIL (A-p-r-i-l); MAY (M-a-y); JUNE (J-u-n-e); JULY (J-u-l-y); AUGUST (A-u-g-u-s-t); SEPTEMBER (S-e-p-t-e-m-b-e-r); OCTOBER (O-c-t-o-b-e-r); NOVEMBER (N-o-v-e-m-b-e-r); DECEMBER (D-e-c-e-m-b-e-r). CAPITALIZE the first letter of each month (this is standard English capitalization). Sample dictation sentences using months: 'Independence Day is in July.' 'Labor Day is in September.' 'Memorial Day is in May.' 'Thanksgiving is in November.' 'Columbus Day is in October.' 'Flag Day is in June.' 'Presidents Day is in February.' Pay close attention to: February (the 'r' after 'b' is often silent in pronunciation but must be written); March (silent 'a' issues); September (two 'e's and an 'er' ending); August (audible 'au' at the start). Practice spelling each month aloud, then writing it. Days of the week (Sunday through Saturday) are also on the writing vocabulary list.

NOVEMBER is the 11th month of the year. Correct spelling: N-O-V-E-M-B-E-R (8 letters). Common dictation sentences: 'Thanksgiving is in November.' 'Labor Day is in September.' Remember the months that pair with holidays for the USCIS writing test: February — Presidents Day; May — Memorial Day; June — Flag Day; July — Independence Day; September — Labor Day; October — Columbus Day; November — Thanksgiving. NOVEMBER spelling tips: starts with N-O-V (rhymes with 'dove'); has 'ember' at the end (like December, September, and October all end in '-ember'); total 8 letters. Writing with correct capitalization: CAPITALIZE the first letter of each month (N). All months are proper nouns in English and must be capitalized wherever they appear in a sentence.

JULY is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under MONTHS. The correct spelling is 'J-U-L-Y.' A common dictation sentence is 'Independence Day is in July.' The writing vocabulary includes the months that appear in holiday-related dictation sentences, such as February (Presidents' Day), May (Memorial Day), June (Flag Day), July (Independence Day), September (Labor Day), October (Columbus Day), and November (Thanksgiving). On the writing test, the applicant writes one dictated sentence correctly out of up to three, so practicing month spellings tied to holidays is useful preparation.

FEBRUARY is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under MONTHS. The correct spelling is 'F-E-B-R-U-A-R-Y' — note the often-forgotten first 'r' after 'Feb.' A common dictation sentence is 'Presidents' Day is in February.' Because February is one of the most commonly misspelled months in English, it is worth practicing. The writing test pairs months with holidays in dictation sentences, and the applicant must write one of up to three sentences correctly. Spelling the month correctly, or at least understandably, helps on the writing portion.