TOEFL Complete the Words (2026): Complete Guide
Updated for the January 2026 TOEFL iBT format · 5 min read
Complete the Words is the first task in the 2026 TOEFL Reading section. You read an academic paragraph where 10 words have their endings hidden, and you type the missing letters. It is a direct academic vocabulary test — spelling must be exact.
How the Task Works
You see a paragraph of about 70–80 words on an academic topic. Within it, 10 words show only the first few letters. You must type the correct ending for each.
"Sociology is the scientific study of human society. Researchers investi____ how people form comm____ities and devel____ shared cultural norms."
Answers: investigate · communities · develop
What Vocabulary Does It Test?
Almost all words come from the Academic Word List (AWL) — around 570 word families common in academic English:
- Research verbs: investigate, analyze, examine, demonstrate, evaluate, identify
- Academic nouns: community, environment, structure, process, framework, principle
- Adjectives: significant, essential, fundamental, comprehensive, consistent, relevant
- Connectors: consequently, alternatively, furthermore, nevertheless, subsequently
Winning Strategy — Step by Step
- Read the full paragraph first — context activates the right word in your memory
- Use the hint letters — "investi" must be "investigate" (no other common academic word starts that way)
- Think about part of speech — is the blank a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb?
- Think about suffixes — -tion, -ity, -ment, -ive, -ly, -ing, -ed are the most common
- Always guess — there is no penalty for wrong answers
Top 20 Word Stems to Study
For each word, study all forms: noun, verb, adjective, adverb — e.g., analyze / analysis / analytical / analytically.
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