TOEFL Complete the Words and Read in Daily Life

TOEFL added two new Reading task types in the January 2026 redesign: Complete the Words and Read in Daily Life. Complete the Words hands you a cloze passage with partial-letter blanks. Read in Daily Life hands you short functional texts like notices, ads, and schedules. Each one rewards a different skill than the classic academic passage set did, so each one deserves its own prep.

This guide breaks down the format of each task and walks through an original example of both. You get a strategy checklist for each one, built around word formation for the first task and targeted skimming for the second. It also covers why ETS added these tasks, what the published blueprint says about item counts, and where to practice both for free.

Why These Task Types Are New

ETS rolled out a new TOEFL iBT format for every test taken on or after January 21, 2026. Complete the Words and Read in Daily Life did not exist on the Reading section before this cutover. Both arrived as part of a wider rebuild of the test, not as small tweaks to the old question pool.

The redesign changed more than the question types. Scores from the new format post in about 3 days, compared with 4 to 8 days under the pre-redesign format. For a two-year transition period after January 2026, ETS also reports a comparable overall score on the existing 0-120 scale alongside the new score, so schools reading either scale get a number they recognize.

If you took the TOEFL before the redesign, treat Complete the Words and Read in Daily Life as unfamiliar territory, even if your reading skills are strong already. Older prep materials skip both tasks entirely. Budget practice time for each one before test day rather than leaning on your academic-passage routine alone.

Complete the Words: Format and Strategy

What the Task Looks Like

ETS describes the task directly: "You will complete partially missing words in a short text. This task measures your vocabulary knowledge and your ability to understand meaning from context." In practice, you get a short passage with several words missing their endings, and you type the missing letters after the visible opening letters. Every blank sits inside a full sentence, so the surrounding grammar and meaning point you to the answer.

ETS has not published the exact number of blanks per passage. The official sample test on ets.org shows the current interface and blank count, so run it once before test day. Treat the sample as the reference for on-screen details the published documents leave out.

Example Prompt

Here is an original example, not an official ETS item: "Many students find it hard to man___ their time during exam week. A clear sched___ helps you balance study and rest days." Both blanks show you the opening letters and hide the rest.

Here, man___ completes to manage, and sched___ completes to schedule. The sentence grammar and the visible letters narrow each answer before you finish reading. The position after "to" marks man___ as a verb, and the article before "clear sched___" points to a singular noun.

Strategy: Word Formation Skills

Complete the Words rewards word formation knowledge over raw vocabulary size. Most answers already sit in your passive vocabulary, so the real job is recognition under time pressure. Work through each blank with a consistent method.

• Read the full passage before filling any blank. Topic and tone narrow your options fast.
• Identify the part of speech the blank needs. A blank after "a" or "the" needs a noun. A blank after "to" needs a verb.
• Match the grammar of the sentence. Check tense, number, and comparative form before you commit to letters.
• Use the given letters as a filter. Visible letters rule out most wrong answers before you think about meaning.
• Reread the finished sentence. A word fitting the blank but breaking the sentence meaning signals an error.

Read in Daily Life: Format and Strategy

What the Task Looks Like

ETS describes this task as: "You will read short texts from everyday situations, such as notices, messages, or short informational texts. Questions measure your understanding of main ideas, key details, and implied meaning." These texts look like documents you run into outside a classroom: a notice on a bulletin board, a text message exchange, a store advertisement, a class schedule, or a set of instructions. Questions following each text ask about the main point, a specific detail, or what the writer implies without stating it directly.

ETS publishes item counts for this task in its 2026 Test Blueprint and Specifications. The blueprint lists Read in Daily Life as delivered in 2-item and 3-item sets, so each short text carries two or three questions. Across the whole section, the same document splits Reading into 30 items on processing academic texts and 20 items on information presented in a variety of formats.

Example Prompt

Here is an original example, not an official ETS item: "Library Notice: The study room on the second floor closes at 6 PM on Fridays for cleaning. Students needing a quiet space after 6 PM should use the first-floor reading area." The whole text runs two sentences, in line with the everyday documents ETS names in its task description.

A question following this notice might ask where a student should go for quiet study after 6 PM on Friday. The answer sits in the second sentence, not the first. Stopping after the opening line costs you the point, so read even the shortest text to the end before answering.

Strategy: Skimming for Practical Info

Read in Daily Life rewards speed and targeted reading over deep analysis. The texts are short, so the time saver is knowing where each document type keeps its key facts. Use these four habits on every text.

• Skim for text type first. A notice, an ad, a schedule, and a message each carry information in a different place.
• Scan for the specific detail the question names. Times, prices, locations, and deadlines usually answer the question directly.
• Watch for conditions. Words like "if," "unless," and "after" change who a rule applies to.
• Separate stated facts from implied meaning. Some questions ask what the text says directly. Others ask what it suggests without stating it.

Where These Tasks Fit in Reading

Complete the Words and Read in Daily Life share the Reading section with Read an Academic Passage, described by ETS as "a short academic passage similar to what you might see in a university course." Questions on the academic passage target main ideas, supporting details, and important vocabulary. You will often meet factual and negative factual questions among them. Together the three tasks cover word knowledge, functional reading, and sustained academic reading.

Three task types make up the section, each testing a different reading skill. The table below lines up what you read against the skill each task measures. Use it to spot the task type needing the most work in your prep.

The full Reading section runs 50 items in about 30 minutes of base time. The test adapts as you answer, so the exact item count and time you get vary. For full section timing and structure, see our TOEFL Reading section guide.

Practice Complete the Words and Read in Daily Life

We built drill sets for both task types at three difficulty levels, easy, medium, and hard, with ten sets per level. Start with the Complete the Words drill and the Read in Daily Life drill, then move up a level as your accuracy climbs. Every set for every Reading task type lives on our TOEFL practice hub. Free, no signup required.

Sources

• ETS TOEFL iBT Reading Section Content
• ETS TOEFL iBT Test Content
• ETS TOEFL iBT Test Blueprint and Specifications 2026
• TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin 2025-2026