What is the correct spelling of a proposed law?

The correct spelling of the word for a proposed law is Bill: b-i-l-l, four letters, with two l's at the end. The word comes from the Anglo-French bille and the Medieval Latin billa (a sealed document or petition). The simple four-letter spelling has no common errors, although applicants sometimes write Bil with one l (a possible mistake when writing quickly).

The word is capitalized when used as part of a proper name (the Bill of Rights, a specific named bill) and lowercase in generic uses (a bill in Congress). On the USCIS writing test sentences containing bill are common, including "A bill is a proposed law," "The President signs bills," or "Congress votes on bills."

In U.S. legislative process a bill is a draft of a proposed law that is introduced in either chamber of Congress, considered by committees and the full chamber, and (if approved by both chambers in identical form) sent to the President. The President may sign the bill into law, veto it, or do nothing (if Congress is in session, the bill becomes law after ten days; if Congress has adjourned, the bill fails by pocket veto). Most bills die in committee.

The civics test asks several questions about how a bill becomes a law, the role of the President, and Congress's power to override a veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. The Bill of Rights, as a proper name, refers to the first ten amendments to the Constitution rather than to a piece of pending legislation.