TOEFL Complete the Words
One of the 3 task types in the Reading section. 135 practice questions in the bank, across 18 sets.
Complete the Words removes a word from a short text and shows only its opening letters. You supply the rest. It is a Reading task, but it is really a vocabulary-production test: recognising the word is not enough, you have to write it.
What it looks like
A real item from the practice bank:
develop leadership skills and exp___ your social circle.
Answer: expand
*Explanations in the PrepScore bank are written for a Chinese-speaking audience, so the reasoning on this page is ours rather than a translation of the bank’s.*
How to approach it
- Read the whole sentence before looking at the letters — the clue is usually after the gap.
- Predict the meaning first, then fit it to the letters given.
- Check the word form: the sentence may need a plural, a past tense or an -ing form.
How much practice there is
The bank holds 135 questions of this type across 18 sets. 76% sit in the basic layer and the rest in the advanced layer, which unlocks once your basic-layer accuracy passes 60% — the same two-stage shape the real test uses in Reading and Listening.
Practise Complete the Words free
Ten questions a day at no cost, with the reasoning on every answer.
Frequently asked questions
What is Complete the Words on the TOEFL?
A Reading task where a word is removed from a short text and only its first letters are shown. You produce the whole word from context.
How do I get better at it?
By practising vocabulary through production rather than recognition — writing words from their meaning, not identifying them in a list.
Keep reading
By PrepScore · Last reviewed · Editorial standards