What is the correct spelling of the national symbol?

The correct spelling of the word for the national symbol is Flag: f-l-a-g, four letters, no silent letters and no doubled consonants. The word comes from Middle English flagge, of uncertain origin (likely from a Scandinavian source), and has meant a piece of cloth used as a standard or signal since the sixteenth century. Flag is one of the simpler words on the USCIS writing vocabulary list, with no common spelling traps; it is sometimes capitalized when used as part of a title (Flag Day) and lowercase otherwise.

On the writing test sentences containing flag are common, including "The flag has fifty stars," "What are the colors of the flag?" and "Flag Day is in June." The U.S. flag, often called the Stars and Stripes or Old Glory, has thirteen alternating red and white horizontal stripes for the original thirteen colonies and 50 white stars on a blue field for the 50 states. The current design has been in use since July 4, 1960, after Hawaii's admission to the union.

The Continental Congress adopted the first U.S. flag on June 14, 1777, and Flag Day is observed each year on June 14 to mark that adoption. Federal law in 4 U.S.C. chapter 1 (the Flag Code) sets out rules of display and respect. The Pledge of Allegiance, recited toward the flag, begins "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America." The civics test asks several questions about the flag, including the number of stars and stripes and what they represent.