Updated October 2026
Complete the Words: how the task works and how to practise
Complete the Words opens the Reading section of the 2026 TOEFL iBT. It looks like a vocabulary quiz, but most of the points are won with grammar.
What you see
A short paragraph on an academic subject. In several of its words the second half has been removed, and you type the missing letters. The first and last sentences are usually left whole, so you know the topic before you meet the first gap.
Each gap has one box per missing letter, which tells you how long the word is. That is a real clue: use it.
Why grammar decides most gaps
The start of the word tells you its family. The sentence tells you its form. After "has" you need a past participle; after "the" and before "of" you need a noun; before a noun you probably need an adjective. Working out the form first turns many gaps from a guess into a certainty.
Small words are gapped too: prepositions, linking words and pronouns. They are easy to rush and easy to get wrong.
A good order of work
Read the whole paragraph once before typing anything. Fill the gaps you are sure of, then return to the others with the meaning of the paragraph in mind. A gap that seemed impossible alone is often obvious once the sentences around it are complete.
Check spelling at the end. A word that is right in your head and wrong on the screen earns nothing.
Common traps
Choosing a word that fits the letters but not the sentence; forgetting a plural or a past tense ending; and doubling or dropping a letter in words such as "occurred" or "necessary".
Another trap is time. This task shares one clock with the rest of the Reading module, and it is tempting to keep staring at one stubborn gap. Leave it and move on.
How to practise
Read short academic paragraphs every day and notice how words change form: analyse, analysis, analytical, analytically. Keep a list of the words you could not complete and review it.
Typing matters. Practise on a keyboard, with a time limit, so that speed and spelling improve together.
This is an independent summary written for test takers. ETS publishes the official specification of the test on its own website.