What does TOEFL Complete the Words test?

TOEFL Complete the Words tests five integrated skills: vocabulary recognition from partial spelling, use of context clues, accurate spelling of academic words, reading comprehension, and grammar knowledge (recognizing the correct word form, noun, verb, adjective, or adverb).

Last updated: April 2026, All information reflects the TOEFL iBT format in effect as of January 21, 2026.

TOEFL Complete the Words: Spelling Strategies That Actually Work (2026)

Key Takeaways

✅ TOEFL Complete the Words is a brand-new task introduced in the 2026 TOEFL iBT Reading section (Task 1).
✅ Each paragraph has 10 blanks where the second half of every second word is hidden, you must type the missing letters exactly.
✅ Each underscore represents one missing letter, use this to count and narrow down your answer.
✅ Spelling must be 100% exact, there is no partial credit.
✅ You have roughly 60 seconds per paragraph (~6-10 seconds per blank), so speed and accuracy both matter.
✅ You cannot skip a blank and return to it later, commit and move on.
✅ The first sentence is always shown in full, use it to set up context before you attempt any blanks.

If you're preparing for the 2026 TOEFL iBT, you've probably heard about the new TOEFL Complete the Words task. This is one of the most talked-about changes to the test, and for good reason: it's unlike anything that appeared on previous versions of the TOEFL. Instead of choosing from multiple-choice options, you actually have to type the missing letters of words in an academic paragraph, from memory, under time pressure, with no room for spelling errors.

The good news? This task is very learnable. Once you understand exactly how it works and apply the right strategies, it becomes one of the more predictable sections on the test. This guide covers everything: how the task is structured, what it actually tests, seven practical strategies, three full practice exercises with answers, and answers to the most common questions test-takers have.

What Is the TOEFL Complete the Words Task?

The TOEFL Complete the Words task is Task 1 in the 2026 TOEFL iBT Reading section, also referred to as the TOEFL 2026 Reading Task 1. It was introduced as part of ETS's significant redesign of the TOEFL for 2026, which added several new task types aimed at testing more integrated and authentic language skills.

In this task, you read a short academic paragraph, the kind of text you'd find in a university textbook or research article. Some of the words in the paragraph have their second half removed, replaced by underscores. Your job is to figure out what the full word is and type the missing letters into the blank.

There are 2 to 5 Complete the Words tasks on any given test, so you'll encounter this format multiple times per exam. Each one follows the same structure.

How the TOEFL Complete the Words Task Works

Here's the exact format you'll see on the 2026 TOEFL iBT:

→One short academic paragraph of approximately 70-100 words
→The first sentence is always shown in full, no blanks, no missing letters
→Starting from the second sentence, the second half of every second word is replaced with underscores
→10 blanks per paragraph, each representing one missing word (each underscore = one missing letter)
→You type the missing letters directly into the blank
→Spelling must be exact, no partial credit is awarded
→The task is case-insensitive (you do not need to capitalize correctly)
→You cannot skip a blank and return to it later, once you move past a blank, it is done
→You have approximately 60 seconds per paragraph, roughly 6-10 seconds per blank

Critical timing note:

Sixty seconds sounds tight, and it is. There's no time to second-guess yourself or run through long lists of possible words. You need a systematic approach, which is exactly what the seven strategies below provide.

What Does TOEFL Complete the Words Actually Test?

This isn't just a spelling test, although spelling accuracy is essential. The TOEFL 2026 Reading Task 1 measures a combination of skills that are fundamental to academic English:

Skill Tested	What It Means in Practice
Vocabulary recognition	Can you identify a word when you only see its first few letters?
Context clues	Can you predict a missing word from the surrounding text?
Accurate spelling	Can you reproduce academic words letter-perfect?
Reading comprehension	Do you understand the paragraph well enough to predict what comes next?
Grammar knowledge	Do you recognize what word form is needed (noun, verb, adjective, adverb)?

That grammar element is more important than it might seem. The task will often show you a word stem and ask you to complete a specific inflection or derivation. Recognizing that the blank calls for a noun ending in -tion versus a verb ending in -ing can be the difference between a correct and incorrect answer.

Official ETS Example

ETS has published the following example to illustrate the TOEFL fill in missing letters format. Study it carefully, this is one of the best ways to understand what the actual test looks like.

Paragraph as it appears on screen:

We know from drawings that have been preserved in caves for over 10,000 years that early humans performed dances as a group activity.

We mi___ think th__ prehistoric peo___ concentrated on__ on ba___ survival.

What You Need to Type (the missing letters):

Blank	What's shown	Full word	Missing letters
1	mi___	might	ght
2	th__	that	at
3	peo___	people	ple
4	on__	only	ly
5	ba___	basic	sic

Notice from this official example:

The words tested are common academic and functional words, not obscure vocabulary.
Context matters: "prehistoric peo___" clearly signals people because of the verb that follows.
Counting underscores helps: on__ has two underscores, making only a perfect fit.
The first sentence gives you the topic, ancient human dances, which frames everything that follows.

7 Strategies for TOEFL Complete the Words

These strategies are organized in the order you should apply them during the actual task.

Strategy 1: Read the Full First Sentence Carefully

This is your most important move before touching a single blank. The first sentence is always shown in full , use those 5-10 seconds to absorb the topic, the academic register, and the key vocabulary. Everything that follows builds on that sentence. In the ETS example above, knowing the paragraph is about early human dancing immediately helps you predict that prehistoric and people are natural words for the context.

Action: Before typing anything, read the first sentence twice in your head.

Strategy 2: Use Context Clues From Surrounding Words

The words directly before and after a blank are your best friends. Look at what the sentence is trying to say. Academic paragraphs follow predictable logical structures, cause and effect, contrast, example, elaboration. Use that structure to predict the missing word. For example, if you see "the process of photo___", the words around it and the academic context make photosynthesis a very strong candidate, even if you only see the first five letters.

Action: Read the full sentence (with the blank as a placeholder) before committing to an answer.

Strategy 3: Count the Underscores

Each underscore represents exactly one missing letter. This is one of the most powerful tools you have. If a blank shows "com____" with four underscores, you're looking for a word that is seven letters long (3 visible + 4 hidden). That rules out completely (10 letters) and common (6 letters), but fits complex (7 letters) or combine (7 letters).

Action: Count the underscores before guessing, then verify your answer has the right number of letters.

Strategy 4: Identify the Part of Speech

Grammar gives you a massive shortcut. Look at the surrounding words and ask: what part of speech belongs here?

After the or a/an → likely a noun or adjective
After a subject → likely a verb
Before a noun → likely an adjective
After a verb → could be an adverb or object noun

If you know the blank needs a noun, you can instantly eliminate verb forms, even if the letters could theoretically match both.

Action: Ask "What part of speech fits here?" before generating word candidates.

Strategy 5: Know Your Common Word Endings

Academic English is full of predictable suffixes. Memorizing the most common ones, and what they signal , gives you a huge advantage on the TOEFL spelling task.

Suffix	Word type	Example
-tion / -sion	Noun	cognition, expansion
-ment	Noun	development, agreement
-ence / -ance	Noun	evidence, importance
-ive	Adjective	cognitive, effective
-al	Adjective	cultural, biological
-ly	Adverb	significantly, rapidly
-ing	Verb (present) / Noun	processing, learning
-ed	Verb (past)	established, observed

Action: Learn these eight suffixes and what part of speech each signals.

Strategy 6: Use the Base Word to Predict the Form

When you can recognize a word stem in the visible letters, use your knowledge of related word forms to derive the answer. This is called word family knowledge, and it's a core vocabulary skill tested throughout the TOEFL.

You see "signi___" in a position that calls for an adverb → significantly
You see "evol___" in a position that calls for a noun → evolution
You see "cogni___" before a noun → cognitive

Action: When you recognize a root, ask: "What form of this word fits the grammar and letter count?"

Strategy 7: Don't Overthink, Commit and Move On

The most damaging mistake on this task is not a spelling error, it's losing time. You cannot go back to a blank once you've passed it, and 60 seconds is not long. If you've applied the strategies above and still aren't sure, make your best guess and move forward. A wrong answer costs you one point. Losing time costs you several.

Action: Set a mental limit of 8 seconds per blank. If you're stuck, commit to your best guess and advance.

TOEFL Complete the Words Practice Exercises

These exercises mirror the format of the 2026 TOEFL iBT Complete the Words task. Set a timer for 60 seconds and attempt each one before checking the answers.

Practice Exercise 1: Environmental Science

Read and complete the blanks:

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth.

Scientists esti___ that th__ region con___ approximately ten__ of all kno___ plant and ani___ species. The for___ plays a cru___ role in regu___ the global cli___.

Answers and Explanations:

Blank	Shown	Full word	Missing letters	Why
1	esti___	estimate	mate	Verb needed: "Scientists estimate"
2	th__	the	e	Determiner before "region"
3	con___	contains	tains	Verb: "the region contains"
4	ten__	tens	s	"tens of all", plural noun; 4 letters
5	kno___	known	wn	Adjective: "known plant"; past participle modifier
6	ani___	animal	mal	Parallel to "plant", noun modifier
7	for___	forest	est	Subject referring back to rainforest
8	cru___	crucial	cial	Adjective: "plays a crucial role"
9	regu___	regulating	lating	Gerund after "role in"
10	cli___	climate	mate	"global climate", fixed academic phrase

Study tip: Notice how blanks 6 and 7 require you to read ahead to identify the noun being described. Blanks 8 and 9 rely entirely on knowing the phrase structure "plays a crucial role in [verb]-ing".

Practice Exercise 2: Psychology

Read and complete the blanks:

Memory consolidation is the process by which newly acquired information becomes stable in the brain.

Research sug___ that sl___ plays a vita_ role in th__ process. Dur___ sleep, the br___ replays rec___ experiences and trans___ them into long-____ memory storage.

Answers and Explanations:

Blank	Shown	Full word	Missing letters	Why
1	sug___	suggests	gests	Verb: "Research suggests"
2	sl___	sleep	eep	Subject noun after "that"; topic of paragraph
3	vita_	vital	l	Adjective: "vital role"; 5 letters
4	th__	this	is	Demonstrative: "this process" refers back
5	Dur___	During	ing	Preposition beginning a clause
6	br___	brain	ain	Subject: "the brain replays"
7	rec___	recent	ent	Adjective: "recent experiences"
8	trans___	transfers	fers	Verb parallel to "replays"
9	long-____	long-term	term	Fixed collocation: "long-term memory"
10	(storage, shown fully)	-	-	-

Study tip: Blank 9 tests knowledge of a fixed academic collocation, long-term memory. Building familiarity with common academic phrase pairs (short-term/long-term, cause/effect, significant/insignificant) is excellent preparation.

Practice Exercise 3: Economics

Read and complete the blanks:

Supply and demand is one of the most fundamental principles in economics.

When the sup___ of a pro____ falls, its pri__ typically ri___ , assu____ that dem____ remains con_____. This rela________ between pri__ and quan____ is known as the law of demand.

Answers and Explanations:

Blank	Shown	Full word	Missing letters	Why
1	sup___	supply	ply	Subject noun: "the supply of"
2	pro____	product	duct	"supply of a product", core economics term
3	pri__	price	ce	Subject: "its price typically rises"
4	ri___	rises	ses	Verb: third-person singular present
5	assu____	assuming	ming	Participial phrase: "assuming that"
6	dem____	demand	and	Subject: "demand remains constant"
7	con_____	constant	stant	Adjective: "remains constant"
8	rela________	relationship	tionship	Noun: "this relationship between"
9	pri__	price	ce	"between price and quantity"
10	quan____	quantity	tity	Noun: "price and quantity", economics pair

Study tip: Notice that price appears twice (blanks 3 and 9). The TOEFL may reuse the same word within a paragraph, and counting underscores confirms the match both times (pri__ = 5 letters = price).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even well-prepared test-takers make these errors on the TOEFL Complete the Words task. Know them before test day:

❌ Misspelling by one letter

There is zero partial credit. Basicaly instead of basically earns you nothing. If you're uncertain about double letters (occurrence vs. occurence) or silent letters (knowledge vs. knowlege), add those high-risk words to your spelling drill list now.

❌ Ignoring context and guessing purely from letters

If you see "con___" and jump to content without reading the sentence, you'll miss that the grammar calls for a verb (contains, controls, concludes). Always read before you type.

❌ Spending too long on one blank

Eight seconds is your limit. Staring at a blank for 20 seconds while the clock runs down is the single most costly mistake on this task. A wrong answer loses 1 point. Running out of time can cost you 3-5 points.

❌ Not reading the first sentence

Some test-takers dive straight into the blanks to save time. This almost always backfires. Without the context from the first sentence, you're guessing blind. Those 5-10 seconds of reading pay dividends on every blank that follows.

❌ Typing a word that doesn't fit the letter count

If you count three underscores after the visible letters and type a word that adds five letters, the system will reject it. Always verify your answer length before submitting.

How to Practice TOEFL Complete the Words at Home

The best preparation combines vocabulary building, spelling accuracy, and timed practice. Here's a structured approach:

Create your own blanks from academic texts

Find a paragraph from a science or social science textbook. Print it out or copy it into a document. Hide the second half of every second word starting from sentence two. Set a 60-second timer and complete your own exercise. This is the most direct simulation of the real task.

Run timed spelling drills on academic vocabulary

Use the Academic Word List (AWL), a widely used list of the 570 word families most common in academic English, as your spelling drill source. Write each word from memory, check it, and repeat any you missed. Focus especially on words with tricky endings: -ence vs. -ance, -ible vs. -able, -tion vs. -sion.

Read academic texts daily

The more academic English you read, the more natural academic vocabulary feels. News sources like The Economist, Scientific American, or university press releases are excellent. The goal is to build word recognition so that when you see "signi___", your brain fills in significant or significantly immediately, without conscious effort.

Practice word family drills

Take a root word and write all its forms: cognize → cognition → cognitive → cognitively. Knowing that a word belongs to a family helps you produce the right form under pressure.

Use the practice exercises in this article repeatedly

Redo the three exercises above with a timer. Track which words you consistently get wrong, then add those to your spelling drill list.

FAQ: TOEFL Complete the Words

Is this task only about spelling, or does it test reading comprehension too?

Both. You need to understand the paragraph to figure out which word belongs in each blank. Spelling is necessary to score, but comprehension gets you to the right word in the first place. Think of it as a two-step process: comprehension tells you what word to write, and spelling accuracy ensures you actually get credit.

What happens if I can read the word in context but can't spell it?

You won't receive credit. There is no partial credit on the TOEFL Complete the Words task, the spelling must be exact. This is why building an academic spelling drill practice alongside your reading preparation is so important. Knowing a word's meaning is not enough; you must be able to reproduce it letter-perfect.

Are the words tested obscure academic vocabulary or common words?

Based on the ETS official example and the structure of the task, the words are drawn from standard academic English, the kind of vocabulary you'd encounter in introductory university textbooks. Think words like estimate, significant, process, evidence, cultural, development. You won't be tested on rare technical jargon, but you should be comfortable with the full Academic Word List.

Can I go back and change a blank I've already submitted?

No. Once you move to the next blank, your previous answer is locked in. This is why the commit-and-move-on strategy is so important. Hesitating too long on one blank costs you time without improving accuracy. Make your best judgment within 8 seconds and advance.

How does the Complete the Words task fit into the overall TOEFL iBT Reading score?

The Complete the Words task is scored as part of the overall TOEFL Reading section score. Each correct blank earns you a point. Since there are 10 blanks per paragraph and up to 5 paragraphs, there is meaningful raw score weight attached to this task type. Performing consistently well across all Complete the Words paragraphs can have a measurable positive effect on your Reading score.

Is the task case-sensitive?

No. Whether you type Climate, climate, or CLIMATE, the response will be marked correct as long as the letters are right. This removes one source of anxiety, you don't need to think about capitalization at all.

How many Complete the Words tasks appear on the 2026 TOEFL?

There are 2 to 5 Complete the Words tasks on any given 2026 TOEFL iBT test. Each paragraph contains 10 blanks, and you have approximately 60 seconds per paragraph.

What is the best way to prepare for TOEFL Complete the Words?

The most effective preparation combines three things: daily academic reading (to build passive vocabulary), timed spelling drills using the Academic Word List (to build active spelling accuracy), and timed practice exercises in the exact TOEFL format (to build speed and a systematic approach under pressure).

Summary: What to Remember About TOEFL Complete the Words

The TOEFL Complete the Words task rewards test-takers who prepare methodically. Here's the one-page summary:

1Read the full first sentence to anchor your understanding of the topic.
2Use context clues, part-of-speech awareness, and suffix knowledge to identify the word.
3Count the underscores to verify your answer length before typing.
4Spell every word exactly right, there's no partial credit.
5Keep moving, 8 seconds per blank, no going back.
6Practice with timed exercises and academic vocabulary spelling drills before test day.

Continue your TOEFL preparation: