Duolingo English Test · Guides · November 5, 2026 · 6 min read
DET Fill in the Blanks and Read and Complete: how to finish half-words fast and spell them right
Two Duolingo English Test (DET) question types ask you to do the same thing: look at the first part of an unfinished word and type the rest. Fill in the Blanks gives you one sentence with one unfinished word and 20 seconds. Read and Complete gives you a whole paragraph with several unfinished words and 3 minutes. Both are adaptive, both count toward Reading, and in both the spelling must be exactly right. Because one skill solves both, this guide covers them together.
The two tasks side by side
| Fill in the Blanks | Read and Complete | |
|---|---|---|
| Text | one sentence | one paragraph with a title |
| Unfinished words | 1 | several, scored one by one |
| Time | 20 seconds | 3 minutes |
| Number per test | 6–9 | 3–6 paragraphs |
| What is missing | the second half of the word | the second half of each word |
| Scoring | right or wrong, exact spelling | each word right or wrong, exact spelling |
| Adaptive / subscore | yes / Reading | yes / Reading |
Rules from Duolingo’s 2026 guides that help you:
- In Fill in the Blanks, the unfinished word is always an adjective, adverb, noun or verb, never a small word like the or of. Sentences come from stories, coursebooks, news, personal writing or conversations.
- In Read and Complete, the title, the first sentence and the last sentence are never cut. Unfinished words are never next to each other, and names, acronyms and one-letter words are never cut.
- In Read and Complete, a blank scores the same as a wrong answer. A guess can only help.
- Harder words tell the test more about your level than easy ones, so one paragraph usually mixes both.
Fill in the Blanks: worked examples
Try each in 20 seconds.
- After the long flight, she felt completely exh______.
- The museum is clo___ on Mondays, so we went on Tuesday.
- He spoke so qui____ that nobody at the back could hear him.
- Prices rose sharply, but salaries remained unch_____.
- The old town is ancient, but the business district is very mod___.
| # | Answer | The clue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | exhausted | felt completely + adjective; a long flight makes you tired |
| 2 | closed | is ___ on Mondays + so we went on Tuesday |
| 3 | quietly | describes spoke, so an adverb in -ly; nobody could hear gives the meaning |
| 4 | unchanged | but signals contrast with rose sharply |
| 5 | modern | contrast with ancient; the opposite word gives it away |
Notice how often the clue is a contrast (but, opposite meanings) or a result (so, that nobody could hear). Duolingo’s own tip is the same: look for another word in the sentence with the same or the opposite meaning, or a common phrase the word belongs to.
A 20-second routine: read the whole sentence (5 seconds), decide the part of speech (2 seconds), type (5 seconds), check the ending (3 seconds). If you see the answer at once, type it and move on.
Read and Complete: a worked paragraph
This paragraph was written for this guide. Give yourself 3 minutes.
Night Markets
Night markets are popular in many cities across Asia. They usually op__ after sun___ and stay busy until late. Visi____ can buy street food, clo____ and small gifts at low pri___. For many families, a walk through the market is a weekly trad_____. Local sellers depend on these evenings for a large share of their inc___. The markets also give young people a place to meet friends.
| Gap | Answer | What gives it away |
|---|---|---|
| op__ | open | usually ___ after: a present verb for They |
| sun___ | sunset | night markets open after the day ends |
| Visi____ | Visitors | the subject of can buy; people who come to a market |
| clo____ | clothes | a list of things you buy: food, ___ and gifts |
| pri___ | prices | the fixed phrase at low prices |
| trad_____ | tradition | a weekly ___: a noun for something done regularly |
| inc___ | income | sellers depend on evenings for money: share of their income |
The title and the first and last sentences are complete, as in the real task. Use them: the title tells you the topic, and the last sentence often confirms the meaning of the middle.
A method for each paragraph
- Read the whole paragraph first, including the title, before typing. Duolingo recommends this, and it works: the meaning of the whole makes single gaps obvious.
- Do the easy words first. Fixed phrases (at low prices), common verbs and repeated topic words. Then return to the hard ones.
- Decide the part of speech. After a or the: a noun or adjective. After can, will, to: a base verb. Describing a verb: an adverb in -ly.
- Check agreement and endings. Singular or plural, -s on present verbs after he/she/it, -ed for the past. A correct word with the wrong ending is a wrong answer.
- Use the last 20 seconds to reread the paragraph with your words in it. If a sentence sounds odd, one word is wrong.
- Fill every gap. Blank and wrong score the same, so type your best guess.
Clues that solve most gaps
- Collocations: make a decision, take a break, heavy rain, depend on, at risk, in contrast.
- Word families: if the gap is develop____, decide between development, developing, developed by the grammar around it.
- Common endings: nouns in -tion, -ment, -ness, -ity; adjectives in -ful, -ous, -ive, -able; adverbs in -ly.
- Repetition: a topic word written in full earlier is often the cut word later.
- Linkers: but, however and although signal an opposite; so, therefore and as a result signal a consequence.
Common mistakes
- Spelling errors in common words: recieve, goverment, enviroment, definately, begining. Keep a list of your own and review it before each session.
- Retyping the start of the word. You type only the missing part; check you did not double a letter at the join.
- The right word in the wrong form: success for successful, quick for quickly, child for children.
- Getting stuck. In Read and Complete, three minutes cover all the gaps. Leave a hard word, finish the rest, return.
How to improve in two weeks
- Make your own C-tests. Take a news paragraph, keep the first and last sentence, and delete the second half of some words in between. Fill them in the next day.
- Learn word families for 10 common academic roots a day: produce, product, production, productive, productivity.
- Read with attention to endings. When you read, notice how -ly, -ed, -ing and -tion change a word’s job in the sentence.
- Drill under time. 20 seconds and 3 minutes feel different from untimed practice.
The vocabulary you build here helps with Read and Select and with the Complete the Sentences step of Interactive Reading.
Practice in the Nomto room
The Read and Complete drill in the Nomto DET room gives you paragraphs with a title, an untouched first and last sentence and cut words in between, timed at 3 minutes, and explains each answer. Fill in the Blanks has its own 20-second drill in the same room. A free account includes 10 reading and listening items.
Common questions
What is the difference between Fill in the Blanks and Read and Complete? Fill in the Blanks is one word in one sentence in 20 seconds; Read and Complete is several words in a paragraph in 3 minutes.
Does spelling count? Yes. The word must be spelled correctly to be right.
Should I leave a word blank if I am not sure? No. In Read and Complete a blank and a wrong answer score the same, so always guess.
Are proper names ever cut? No. Names and acronyms are never unfinished words.
Duolingo English Test is a trademark of Duolingo, Inc. Nomto is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Duolingo.