Our December 2026 SAT vocabulary list starts with 54 answer words. They come from the 55 Words in Context questions in our December prediction bank. A model chose those questions by scoring repeat history across our 23 English question banks. The test is on Saturday, December 5, 2026, per College Board's December 5 SAT page. Start with the 35 words tied to questions that have shown up on three or more test dates.
54
answer words from the 55 Words in Context questions in the December bank
35
of them tied to questions seen on three or more test dates
15.3%
of our fall 2026 English questions were Words in Context: about 8 of 54 if December matches
12.3%
come-back rate for questions seen on three dates, against 3.5% for one date
Read this as a prediction, not a leak and not a guarantee. This page shows no test content. We measured which questions in our earlier question banks came back, and the model ranked the ones with the strongest record. Most of what you see on December 5 will not be in any prediction bank, and results swing from date to date. Our SAT predictions 2026 hub explains how we find the questions most likely to repeat. The practice set is the December 2026 English prediction bank.
Do this first
Learn the 35 bold words in the tables below, plus "looking forward to", "proxies for" and "underscores". Their questions have appeared on three or more test dates in our banks.
On this page
What is the December 2026 SAT vocabulary prediction?
It is a ranked study list. A model scores every question in our 23 English banks (6,115 questions, March 2024 to November 2026). It keeps the 400 it rates most likely to return. Of those 400, 55 are Words in Context questions, and this page lists their answer words.
For November we used one rule: study the questions that had already repeated twice. After the test date we scored that rule. Of the 574 English questions in the November prediction bank, 52 came back as the same or a reworked question (9.1%). Counted by passage, 89 of the 574 (15.5%) sat on a passage that came back. You can still read the November 2026 SAT vocab predictions and the full November 2026 SAT prediction.
November: one rule
Study the questions that had already repeated twice. Scored after the test date: 52 of 574 came back (9.1%).
December: a model
Fitted again after every test date. Five signals and two scores for each question. Back-test on November 2026: 9.8% by question.
For December we replaced the single rule with a model that we fit again after every test date. It scores each question on five things:
- how many test dates the question has appeared on
- how many times it has appeared this year
- how long ago it appeared, and in which season
- how often its passage has come back
- how often its skill comes back
Each question gets two scores. One is the chance the question returns. The other is the chance its passage returns with a different question.
We then ran a back-test. We rebuilt the bank for each earlier test date, using only the banks that existed before that date. Across the 2026 dates, an average of 9.0% of the bank's questions came back. That is about 36 of 400. By passage the average was 19.9%. The worst 2026 date scored 0.5% and the best scored 19.3%. On November 2026, this model would have scored 9.8% by question and 25.5% by passage.
The swing comes from the test dates themselves. In our November 2026 bank, 198 of 350 English questions (56.6%) matched or reworked a question from an earlier bank. In our October 2026 bank it was 108 of 300 (36.0%). We cannot promise a number for December 5.
What makes a question come back?
Repeat history does. The more test dates a question has been on, the more often it returned in 2026.
| Test dates the question had appeared on | Came back on a given 2026 date | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.5% | 554 of 15,760 |
| 2 | 5.1% | 174 of 3,444 |
| 3 | 12.3% | 72 of 587 |
| 4 | 17.6% | 37 of 210 |
| 5 or more | 20.7% | 24 of 116 |
Questions seen twice in the same year came back 16.5% of the time (34 of 206). Questions seen three or more times in the same year came back 27.7% of the time (18 of 65). The last two groups are small, so treat those rates as rough. This is why 365 of the bank's 400 questions have already appeared on two or more test dates.
Vocabulary questions repeat at about the average rate. A Words in Context question from an earlier bank came back on a given 2026 date 4.3% of the time (135 of 3,129 chances). The rate for all English questions was also 4.3% (861 of 20,117).
Remember
Vocabulary earns its place by size, not by repeat rate. It repeats at the average rate (4.3%), and it is the largest single skill in our banks.
How many vocab questions are on the SAT?
About 8 of the 54 Reading and Writing questions, by our count. College Board does not publish a fixed number for vocabulary.
College Board's Reading and Writing specifications set the section at 54 questions. There are two modules. Each has 25 operational questions and 2 pretest questions, and each runs 32 minutes. Per College Board's Reading and Writing section page, each module includes questions from all four content domains.
What College Board publishes
54 questions in two modules of 27. Craft and Structure, the domain that holds Words in Context, is about 28% of the section. No count for vocabulary alone.
What our banks add
15.3% of our fall 2026 English questions were Words in Context. On a 54-question section that is about 8, or about 4 in each module. Our estimate, not an official figure.
Our banks fill in the rest. In our fall 2026 banks (August to November, 1,376 questions), 15.3% of English questions were Words in Context. So how many Words in Context questions are in the SAT Reading and Writing section? If December follows that mix, expect about 8 of 54, or about 4 in each module. That is our estimate from our own banks. It is not an official figure.
| Our English banks | Questions | Words in Context share | At 54 questions, that is about |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 23 banks (March 2024 to November 2026) | 6,115 | 14.4% | 8 |
| Fall 2026 (August to November) | 1,376 | 15.3% | 8 |
| Earlier Decembers (2024 and 2025) | 644 | 15.4% | 8 |
| November 2026 | 350 | 14.9% | 8 |
The share stays between 14.4% and 15.4% across all four rows. We have a full page on this one question: how many vocabulary questions are on the SAT.
What domain is Words in Context?
Words in Context is in the Craft and Structure domain. College Board's specifications put that domain at about 28% of the section and list three skills in it: Words in Context, Text Structure and Purpose, and Cross-Text Connections. We cover the other two skills in our December 2026 SAT reading prediction.
What are SAT words?
SAT words are the college-level words the test asks you to use in a sentence. College Board's specifications call them "high-utility academic words and phrases". You will not be asked to define a word alone. You read a short passage with a blank and pick the word that fits.
Remember
The standard question reads: "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?" Logical means it fits the clue. Precise means it fits better than a near match.
That changes how you study SAT vocabulary. A bare definition is not enough. Learn each word inside a sentence, and learn what kind of sentence it fits.
Weak: the bare definition
copious = very plentiful. You can recite it, but you cannot tell it from "exorbitant" in a sentence about prices.
Strong: the word in a sentence
copious = very plentiful. "She took copious notes during the lab." It fits amounts you are glad to have. It does not mean "too much".
For background, read what SAT words are and whether you still need them. For a long reference list, use our 1000 SAT words and definitions.
The 54 SAT vocab words in the December prediction bank
These are the answer words of the 55 Words in Context questions in the bank. We dropped one answer because it is a phrase longer than three words. We grouped the other 54 by meaning, since words that sit close in meaning are the ones you mix up.
Bold words are tied to a question that has appeared on three or more test dates in our banks. Study those 35 first. The meanings are short and plain. The example sentences are our own, written for this page. Many of these words have more than one meaning, and the test rewards the meaning that fits the sentence.
9 practice questions sit in the sections below, ordered by what to study first. We wrote them for this page in the style of Words in Context questions. They are not from any test or any bank, and the people and places in them are invented. Answer each one before you open "Show answer".
Words for amount and size
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| considerable | large in amount or degree | The storm did considerable damage to the pier. |
| abundant | found in large supply | Wild berries are abundant along the trail in July. |
| copious | very plentiful | She took copious notes during the lab. |
| exorbitant | far too high, most often a price | The stadium charged an exorbitant price for water. |
| minimal | very small; the least possible | The new filter needs minimal upkeep. |
| breadth of | the wide range of | The breadth of her reading surprised the panel. |
| proliferate | to grow or spread fast | Food trucks began to proliferate near the campus. |
| magnify | to make something look or seem bigger | A small lens can magnify the print. |
| exaggerate | to describe something as bigger than it is | People who fish tend to exaggerate the size of a catch. |
exorbitant
A complaint. The amount is too high to be fair. Use it for prices, fees and demands.
considerable
A neutral measure. The amount is large, and that may be good or bad.
Practice question 1 of 9 (written for this page)
When the city of Marlow put its old ferry up for sale, every bid came in far below the asking price. Local boat owners called the figure ______: a newer, larger ferry in the next county had sold for half as much the year before.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) minimal
B) feasible
C) exorbitant
D) inconsequential
Show answer
Answer: C, exorbitant. A newer, larger ferry sold for half as much, so the asking price is far too high. "Minimal" and "inconsequential" point the wrong way, toward small.
Words for importance and signs
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| critical | very important; also, finding fault | Clean water is critical to the town's health. |
| inconsequential | not important | The typo was inconsequential and changed nothing. |
| hallmark | a typical feature that marks something | Bright color is a hallmark of her paintings. |
| a quintessential | a perfect example of | The diner is a quintessential roadside stop. |
| evident | easy to see; clear | Her relief was evident when the results came in. |
| indications | signs that point to something | Early indications suggest a mild winter. |
| marks | shows or signals a point of change | The festival marks the start of the harvest. |
| distinguished from | told apart from | A moth can be distinguished from a butterfly by its antennae. |
Practice question 2 of 9 (written for this page)
Potter Ines Aldaba fires every bowl twice and leaves one thumbprint in the glaze near the rim. Collectors now treat that thumbprint as a ______ of her studio: when they find it on an unsigned bowl, they feel sure she made it.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) hallmark
B) fabrication
C) beneficiary
D) synthesis
Show answer
Answer: A, hallmark. The thumbprint is the typical feature that tells collectors who made the bowl. That is what a hallmark is.
Words for claims, proof and doubt
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| fabrications | made-up stories or facts | The editor found that two of the quotes were fabrications. |
| inconsistencies | parts that do not match | The audit found inconsistencies between the two ledgers. |
| untenable | not possible to defend or keep up | New data made the old theory untenable. |
| dispel | to drive away a belief or a fear | The tour helped dispel rumors about the factory. |
| feasible | possible to do | A weekend trip is feasible on that budget. |
| rigor | strict care and thoroughness | The team checked each sample with rigor. |
| methods | ways of doing something | The two labs used different methods to count cells. |
| synthesis | a blend of parts into one whole | Her essay is a synthesis of three interviews. |
| attributed | credited to a cause or a source | The coach attributed the win to better defense. |
| established | proven and accepted; set up | It is an established fact that the river floods each spring. |
Practice question 3 of 9 (written for this page)
See which question types are costing you points
Start with a free mock, free drills, or preview sample questions before using all 47 question banks.
For decades, guidebooks claimed that the lighthouse on Carrow Point was built in 1790. That claim became ______ last year, when a builder's signed invoice turned up in the county archive. It was dated 1831 and described the site as bare rock before work began.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) evident
B) feasible
C) established
D) untenable
Show answer
Answer: D, untenable. The invoice shows the 1790 date cannot be right, so the claim can no longer be defended. "Evident" and "established" would mean the claim got stronger.
Words for influence and support
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| sway | to change someone's mind; also, control | One strong speech can sway a jury. |
| influenced | shaped or affected | Her grandmother's stories influenced her first novel. |
| persuadable | able to be convinced | The ad was aimed at persuadable voters. |
| proponents | people who support an idea | Proponents of the bike lane spoke first. |
| prevail over | to win against | Patience can prevail over raw speed. |
| publicity | public attention | The bake sale got free publicity from the local paper. |
| favorably | in a positive way | Critics responded favorably to the sequel. |
| a beneficiary | one who gains from something | The school was a beneficiary of the grant. |
| proclivity | a natural lean toward something | He has a proclivity for taking apart old radios. |
Practice question 4 of 9 (written for this page)
The plan to close Main Street to cars on Sundays has split the town council. ______ of the plan point to a trial last summer, when foot traffic at street-level shops rose on every car-free day. Critics answer that delivery drivers lost a full day of access.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) Opponents
B) Proponents
C) Indications
D) Inconsistencies
Show answer
Answer: B, proponents. These people argue for the plan, and the next sentence sets them against "critics". People who support an idea are its proponents.
Words for change, time and repair
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| ameliorate | to make a bad thing better | Shade trees ameliorate summer heat on the block. |
| salvage | to save from loss or ruin | Divers tried to salvage the cargo. |
| removed | taken away; also, distant | The stain was removed with vinegar. |
| continuity | an unbroken flow over time | The same narrator gives the series continuity. |
| nonstop | without a pause | The printer ran nonstop for two days. |
| dynamic | active and always changing | A city skyline is dynamic, not fixed. |
| begun with | started from | The project had begun with a single sketch. |
| extemporaneous | done without preparation | She gave an extemporaneous toast at the dinner. |
Practice question 5 of 9 (written for this page)
A burst pipe soaked the school library over winter break. Staff could not save the carpet or the lower shelves, but they did manage to ______ most of the yearbook collection by freezing the wet volumes and drying them page by page.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) dispel
B) exaggerate
C) salvage
D) proliferate
Show answer
Answer: C, salvage. The word "but" sets the yearbooks against the things staff could not save. To save something from ruin is to salvage it.
Words for feeling and respect
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| moving | causing strong feeling | The letter from his sister was moving. |
| subdued | quiet; toned down | The crowd was subdued after the loss. |
| celebrate | to honor with praise or joy | The mural celebrates the town's first teachers. |
| honor | to show respect for | The plaque honors the people who built the bridge. |
Plain verbs that still show up as answers
Remember
Not every answer is a hard word. Six of the 54 are everyday verbs, and five of the six are tied to questions seen on three or more test dates. When a plain word fits the sentence best, pick it.
| Word | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| imparts | gives or passes on | A good coach imparts calm to the team. |
| locate | to find the place of | Rangers used a drone to locate the hikers. |
| remember | to keep in mind | Sailors still remember the storm of that year. |
| learn | to gain knowledge or skill | Pups learn to hunt by watching adults. |
| writes | puts into words | She writes about life on the coast. |
| exhibit | to show a trait | The crystals exhibit a faint glow. |
Practice question 6 of 9 (written for this page)
Cook Dara Whitlow smokes trout over alder wood for two reasons. It preserves the fish, and the slow smoke ______ a mild, sweet flavor to the flesh that her customers ask for by name.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) imparts
B) dispels
C) magnifies
D) attributes
Show answer
Answer: A, imparts. The smoke gives the fish a flavor it did not have. "Imparts" means gives or passes on. A plain verb is the best fit here.
The next question uses one of the other 19 bank words.
Practice question 7 of 9 (written for this page)
The band's first two albums were loud and fast. Its third is far more ______: the drums sit low in the mix, most songs are built around a single piano, and the singer rarely raises her voice above a murmur.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) dynamic
B) copious
C) exorbitant
D) subdued
Show answer
Answer: D, subdued. Low drums, one piano and a murmur all describe quiet, toned-down music. "Dynamic" fits the first two albums, not the third.
What are the most common SAT vocab words?
In our banks, "rigor" leads. It is the correct answer on 8 of our 881 Words in Context questions. The table lists every word that is the correct answer on 5 or more.
| Answer word | Words in Context questions where it is correct | Where it sits for December |
|---|---|---|
| rigor | 8 | In the bank |
| incongruous with | 7 | Second list |
| inconsistencies | 6 | In the bank |
| exorbitant | 6 | In the bank |
| salvage | 6 | In the bank |
| continuity | 6 | In the bank |
| popular | 6 | Neither list |
| palpable | 6 | Neither list |
| breadth of | 5 | In the bank |
| feasible | 5 | In the bank |
| critical | 5 | In the bank |
| considerable | 5 | In the bank |
| imparts | 5 | In the bank |
| evident | 5 | In the bank |
| supplement | 5 | Second list |
| underscores | 5 | Second list |
| disparity | 5 | Neither list |
| unknown | 5 | Neither list |
| a consequence | 5 | Neither list |
A common word can still miss the bank. The model ranks questions, not words, so it weighs when and how often each question appeared. Learn the five "neither list" words anyway: popular, palpable, disparity, unknown and a consequence. For a wider view of the most common SAT words, see our 100 common SAT vocabulary words for 2026.
Practice question 8 of 9 (written for this page)
No one in the gym spoke during the final timeout, yet the tension was ______. Players wiped their palms on their shorts, the coach gripped his clipboard with both hands, and the crowd leaned forward as one.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) minimal
B) palpable
C) inconsequential
D) unknown
Show answer
Answer: B, palpable. The word "yet" tells you the tension was strong even in silence, and the details show everyone felt it. "Palpable" means so strong you can almost touch it.
SAT words to know first: answers seen on three or more test dates
In our banks, 38 answer words belong to a Words in Context question that has appeared on three or more test dates. The bank holds 35 of them, shown in bold in the tables above. The other three are "looking forward to", "proxies for" and "underscores". Add them to your first pass.
A second SAT vocab list: 59 more words from the model
These are answer words from Words in Context questions on the model's list that did not make the 400-question bank. The 60 questions give 59 different SAT vocab words, since one word shows up twice. If you want a longer SAT vocab list for 2026 after the first 54, use this one. Look up each word and write your own sentence for it.
a consonance between, a modest, abated, affecting, applauded, assuage, attributed to, catalyst of, consequential, conspicuous, continuously, contributions to, convened, derived from, disregard, engendering, enrich, estimated, evade, excessive, exclusive to, fruitful, function, heterogeneous, imitate, impact, impractical, incongruous with, insurmountable, judge, lean, looking forward to, mutable, nominal, ongoing, orthodox, pervasive, pranks, prevalent, proxies for, really, reception of, register, renewing, response to, scope, signs, slips away, soothed, speculative, stimulating, substantiate, superfluous, superior, supplement, supposition, thrive, underscores, waste.
Word parts make this list shorter than it looks. "Insurmountable", "impractical" and "incongruous" all open with a prefix that means "not". Our guide to SAT vocabulary prefixes and roots covers the common ones.
Practice question 9 of 9 (written for this page)
Editor Ravi Menon cut the last chapter of the memoir before it went to print. In his view the chapter was ______: it repeated stories told earlier in the book and added no new detail to any of them.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) insurmountable
B) speculative
C) superfluous
D) heterogeneous
Show answer
Answer: C, superfluous. A chapter that repeats earlier stories and adds nothing is not needed. "Superfluous" means more than is needed.
How do you solve SAT Words in Context questions?
Use four steps, and do the first two before you look at the choices.
- Cover the choices. Read the whole passage, not only the sentence with the blank.
- Find the clue. One part of the passage tells you what the blank must mean. It is often after a colon, or after a word like "but", "because" or "so".
- Say your own word. Fill the blank with a plain word of your own before you read the four choices.
- Match and test. Pick the choice closest to your word. Read the sentence again with it in place. Check that the tone fits, good or bad, strong or mild.
Rule
The answer is set by a clue inside the passage. If you cannot point to the words that prove your choice, you have not found the clue yet.
Try the method on a sentence we wrote for this page. It is not from any bank.
The town council called the bridge repair plan ______: the cost was low, the crew was ready, and the work would take only two weeks.
The clue comes after the colon. Low cost, a ready crew and a short job all point one way: the plan can be done. Your own word might be "doable". Now test four words from the lists above. "Exorbitant" means far too costly, which the clue rules out. "Untenable" means the plan cannot stand, which is the reverse of the clue. "Extemporaneous" means unplanned, and nothing in the sentence says that. "Feasible" means possible to do. It matches.
Trap
All four choices are strong, academic-sounding words, and two of them describe plans. Only one fits the clue. A word you know well is not the answer unless the clue backs it.
What students said on Reddit
In an r/Sat thread titled "november vocab", the poster remembered only two of the four choices on one question: "dubious" and "credible". One reply reads: "I was between those two and chose credible but I think I’m cooked". Two words with opposite meanings were both still in play. Saying your own word first is how you settle that before the choices pull you.
Our Words in Context SAT guide has a longer six-step version, and six common Words in Context mistakes shows the usual wrong turns.
For SAT Words in Context practice on full sets, start at our SAT question bank hub. The newest test-date set in this study is the November 2026 English question bank.
What should you study first for December 2026?
Work down this table. Each row is ordered by the repeat data above.
| Priority | What to study | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The 35 bold bank words, plus "looking forward to", "proxies for" and "underscores" | Their questions have appeared on three or more test dates. Questions with three dates came back 12.3% of the time in 2026, against 3.5% for one date. |
| 2 | The other 19 bank words | They sit in the 400-question bank, where 365 questions have appeared on two or more dates. |
| 3 | Popular, palpable, disparity, unknown, a consequence | Each is the correct answer on 5 or 6 Words in Context questions in our banks. |
| 4 | The second list of 59 words | Their questions are on the model's list but outside the bank. |
| 5 | The four-step method on words you have never seen | In the back-test, 9.0% of the bank's questions came back on an average 2026 date. Most of what appears on a test date will not be in any prediction bank. |
The December 2026 English prediction bank holds the 55 Words in Context questions inside a 400-question set: 102 easy, 195 intermediate and 103 hard. Of the 400, 213 have a video. It costs $99.99. The December 2026 Math prediction bank has 200 questions at the same price.
How should you study for SAT vocabulary before December 5?
Split the time into three weeks. Put the words in week one, mixed practice in week two and review in week three. College Board lists November 20, 2026 as the registration deadline for this date and November 24, 2026 as the late deadline. Our December 2026 SAT dates and deadlines page covers the score release too.
Sat Nov 14 to Fri Nov 20
Three weeks out: learn the first 38 words
Take about eight a day. For each word, write the plain meaning and one sentence of your own. Sort the words by the meaning families above. November 20 is the registration deadline.
Sat Nov 21 to Fri Nov 27
Two weeks out: the other bank words and timed sets
The section gives you about 1 minute and 11 seconds per question, per College Board's specifications. Do Words in Context sets at that pace. On every miss, write down the clue you missed, not only the word.
Sat Nov 28 to Thu Dec 3
Final week: the second list, then review
Read the 59 words once. Then go back to every word you missed. Redo the practice questions on this page without looking at the answers.
Fri Dec 4 and Sat Dec 5
No new words
Stop new words two days before the test. On Friday, skim your miss list once. Saturday, December 5 is test day.
Starting later than November 14? Keep the order and shorten each block.
Vocabulary is about 8 of 54 questions, so it cannot be your whole plan. Give the other days to the skills in our sibling guides: December 2026 SAT transitions and notes, December 2026 SAT grammar rules and the December 2026 SAT math prediction.
How do you memorize SAT vocab fast?
Use short, spaced reviews and test yourself each time. Three habits fit a three-week window:
- Group by meaning. Learn "abundant", "copious" and "considerable" together, then learn what sets each apart.
- Recall, do not reread. Cover the meaning, say it out loud, then check.
- Come back on a schedule. Review a new word the next day, three days later and a week later.
Flashcards work, on paper or in an app, when each card carries your sentence and not only the meaning. If you ask an AI chatbot to quiz you, have it write new sentences with a blank, and check any meaning it gives you against a dictionary.
Our guide on how to memorize SAT vocab fast has seven methods in full. To see which words students recalled after the last test date, read the November 2026 SAT vocab recap from Reddit.
What to do next
Open the December English prediction bankRead the Words in Context guideNext: December 2026 SAT reading predictionHow we built this page
This is a prediction for study planning. It is not a leak and not a guarantee. Verified 2026-11-10.
- Numbers. Every Test Advantage number on this page comes from our own question banks on thetestadvantage.com, measured from the live database on November 10, 2026: 23 English banks with 6,115 questions, March 2024 to November 2026.
- Word lists. The lists are the correct answers of Words in Context questions in those banks. We show no passages, questions or answer sets from the banks.
- Practice questions. Every example sentence and all 9 practice questions were written for this page. The people and places in them are invented.
- Method. Repeat rates count each earlier question against each 2026 test date. The back-test rebuilt the bank for each earlier date using only banks that existed before it.
- Official facts. The test date, deadlines, question counts and domain shares come from College Board pages fetched on November 10, 2026. We read the Reddit line in the linked thread the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the December 2026 SAT vocabulary prediction?
It is a ranked study list, not a leak and not a guarantee. A model scored every question in our 23 English question banks (6,115 questions) on repeat history and kept 400. Of those, 55 are Words in Context questions. This page lists 54 of their answer words by meaning family.
How many vocab questions are on the SAT?
About 8 of the 54 Reading and Writing questions, or about 4 per module. That is our estimate: 15.3% of the English questions in our fall 2026 banks were Words in Context. College Board does not publish a fixed count. It puts the Craft and Structure domain at about 28% of the section.
What domain is Words in Context?
Words in Context is in the Craft and Structure domain of SAT Reading and Writing. College Board lists three skills in that domain: Words in Context, Text Structure and Purpose, and Cross-Text Connections. The domain is about 28% of the section.
What are SAT words?
SAT words are college-level words the test asks you to use in a sentence. College Board calls them high-utility academic words and phrases. You are not asked to define a word alone. You read a short passage with a blank and pick the word that fits.
What are the most common SAT vocab words?
In our 23 English question banks, rigor is the correct answer on 8 Words in Context questions and incongruous with on 7. Inconsistencies, exorbitant, salvage, continuity, popular and palpable are each correct on 6. These counts come from our own banks, not from College Board.
How should you study for SAT vocabulary before December 5?
Use three weeks. First learn the 38 answer words tied to questions seen on three or more test dates, about eight a day, each in your own sentence. Next add the other bank words and do timed Words in Context sets. In the final week read the second list and review your misses.
How do you memorize SAT vocab fast?
Group words by meaning, test yourself instead of rereading, and review on a schedule: the next day, three days later and a week later. Learn each word inside a sentence, because the SAT asks you to pick the word that fits a passage.