Use this page to view the list of 400+ words, including their definitions, example sentences, root word etymology, and difficulty rating. Sort words A–Z or by difficulty, and filter by root language or word type. Use the search box to find a specific word. You can also print a study list to review later.
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An SAT Words list, as the name implies, is a list of words that can appear on the SAT, a test most students take before college. The 400 words or so in this list are derived from the ‘Reading’ and ‘Writing’ parts of the new computer-based SAT. In each listing, you’ll get the meaning, an example sentence, the number of syllables, where the word comes from, and the difficulty level.
This page is a companion to our tool for SAT Vocabulary Words, displaying the entire list in order from A to Z. There is an option to print the entire list, so you can study it offline. There are filters so you can focus on specific categories, like only reviewing Latin root words, Greek root words, or filtering by word type — whatever helps you review efficiently.
The old SAT review modules made you memorize a list of rare, obscure words that people rarely use. However, this was revamped. Newer SAT tests consist mostly of real words that are used in books, articles, or essays. These are words used by authors, not a silly slang list. The “Words in Context” questions test not only the knowledge of the word meaning, but also the ability to choose from four words to best complete a given sentence.
First, let’s clarify one important aspect of this review list. A word list isn’t the same as flashcards. Flashcards help with memorization. A word list focuses on something deeper. First, the meaning, then how it’s used, and lastly, how to use it in a sentence or in a real-world writing application. It’s a mastery of the word, something more holistic. The goal here is to start with the easy tier and ramp up to the more difficult levels. These are just the best practices; use them as a guide. The goal is to understand the word, not just memorize.
Once you finish the list on this page, head over to our SAT Vocabulary Words tool. It shows you one word at a time in Practice Mode, with the meaning hidden, so you can quiz yourself. The list and the tool are made to work together.
The best way to prep for SAT vocabulary is to study Latin and Greek root words. The term ‘root’ is the main part of the word that carries its meaning, so learning one root word will help you understand dozens of words. This is helpful preparation because you may encounter a word you’ve never heard before, and spotting the root word will help you figure out its meaning based on the sentence around it.
For example, you see the word benevolent in a test, and you’ve never seen this word. You might recognize its root “bene” from words like benefit — from studying Latin, you know that bene means good. Then you read this sentence: “The benevolent king lowered the taxes for the poor.” From this, you know that a king helping the poor sounds kind, so benevolent must mean “kind” or “good-hearted.”
Utilize the “Root filter” at the top of the page to show only the Latin or Greek words. Study them as families. These words will share the same root. Spend time on one major root word to understand the context of each one. Learning these words as a family will help you learn more than just memorizing a random list of unrelated words.
Students have two methods to prepare for the SAT and should consider using both. The first method is reading through a list of words with the meaning toggled on. This helps students familiarize themselves with the words, the page structure, and where the definition is located. The second is using it to quiz themselves, or trying to remember what the words mean without looking at the answer, which is doable with this tool since you can toggle the definitions on or off. This is what you call active recall and one of the best ways to make the words stick in your memory. You can do this in the SAT Vocabulary Words tool, specifically in practice mode.
Here’s the order I would follow to study these words:
This is a systematic way of building a general vocabulary base, then focusing on the exact words you need to improve upon. Focus on these steps to help the words stick in memory.
Note that the College Board has not published an official SAT word list since the 2016 redesign of the test. The list of 400+ words below includes words that frequently appear in Reading passages and Writing questions on the current SAT. These are words from the academic register that this test focuses on.
My recommendation would be to start by learning the ‘easy’ and ‘medium’ words first to build a base of familiar words. Then you can use the filter above to look at the hardest words in the list. 200-300 familiar words are far more valuable than a few minutes spent familiarizing yourself with the entire 400+ word list.
This one page lists all the SAT words in a number of ways for your review. The SAT Vocabulary Words tool, on the other hand, makes a study list of random words for you to review in a number of ways, including with audio, in saved lists, and as single-word test-taking practice. This page is best for general review, while the other tool is for serious vocabulary study.
Yes. This printable SAT study list can be created by clicking the “Print List” button at the top of this page, or by using your browser’s print functionality, such as Ctrl+P on Windows or Cmd+P on Mac. Note that when you print this page, all of the tools to browse words, search for words, etc. will be hidden from view, and you will be left with a printable study list of the 400 words that are tested on the SAT, complete with definitions and example sentences for each word.
Each word has a “Root Note” that shows its etymology — the origin of the word (Latin, Greek, French, etc.) and a brief note on how it entered English. This is useful information as you prep for the test, because spotting a familiar root or prefix in an unfamiliar word often lets you figure out its meaning.
Vocabulary is tested in context through the Words in Context questions in the Reading and Writing section of the SAT. Students need to understand precisely what each word means and how it’s used, including its connotation. The example sentences on this page show each word in a real sentence, which is one of the best ways to study for that kind of question.