What word means the leader of a nation?

The word that means the leader of a nation, on the USCIS reading vocabulary list, is President. In the United States the President is the head of state and the head of government, an unusual combination that distinguishes the U.S. system from parliamentary democracies where those roles are split.

Article II of the Constitution vests the executive power of the federal government in the President and lays out the office's duties: to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, to serve as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, to make treaties with the advice and consent of the Senate, to nominate ambassadors, federal judges, and Cabinet officers, and to deliver a State of the Union message to Congress.

The President is elected to a four-year term and is limited to two terms by the Twenty-Second Amendment, ratified in 1951 in response to Franklin Roosevelt's four consecutive elections. To qualify for the office a person must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a U.S. resident for 14 years.

The President is chosen indirectly by the Electoral College rather than by a national popular vote: each state casts a number of electoral votes equal to its total members of Congress, with 270 of the 538 votes needed to win. As of 2026 the United States has had 46 presidencies and 45 individuals in the office (Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is counted twice).

On the reading test an applicant may be asked to read a sentence such as "Who was the first President?" or "The President lives in the White House." Reading vocabulary words appear in three short sentences during the English reading portion of the naturalization interview, and the applicant must read one of the three sentences correctly to demonstrate the ability to read in English as required by section 312 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.