SAT Vocab Audit: March 2025

Tracking the most troublesome tested words

Words matter, especially when you know—or don’t know—a lot of them. A command of English vocabulary definitely matters on most high stakes tests. That's why I avidly analyze trends into what words most frustrate test takers on important exams.

The March SAT definitely left a mark: not only did many students have their test prematurely submitted, but everyone encountered some advanced words. Thanks to all those self-prep heroes on the r/SAT subreddit—led by supermod yodatsracist—who shared the most challenging vocabulary they encountered on the U.S. and International administrations of the March 2025 SAT.

Here are the challenging March 2025 words we've already featured on Roots2Words:

abatement (noun) - the act or condition of lessening or reducing; that which is lessened or reduced; mitigation, suppression, or termination
BREAKDOWN: A- (toward) + BAT- (beat) + -MENT (act or state)

diminutive (adj) - small, little, or tiny
BREAKDOWN: DE- (fully) + MINU- (small) + -TE (state) + -IVE (being)

imperative (adj) - extremely important, urgent, or necessary; requiring or demanding attention
BREAKDOWN: IMPER- (rule, authority) + -ATE (to do) + -IVE (prone to)

indolence (noun) - the feeling or habit of not wanting to work
BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + DOL- (feel pain) + -ENCE (state of)

meticulous (adj) - extremely or overly careful in thinking about or dealing with small details; precise, picky, or punctilious
BREAKDOWN: The word meticulous derives from the Latin metus, meaning fear, apprehension, or anxiety.

precede (verb) - to go before or in front of; to introduce or preface
BREAKDOWN: PRE- (before) + CED- (go)

prudent (adj) - wise and practical; judicious; provident; acting with care and consideration for the future
BREAKDOWN: PRUD- (to see) + -ENT (state of)

reciprocity (noun) - a practice of acting or engaging with others for mutual benefit
BREAKDOWN: RE[CI]- (back) + PRO[C]- (forward) + -ATE (to do)

tranquil (adj) - calm, peaceful, or free from emotional or mental disturbance
BREAKDOWN: TRAN- (beyond) + QUIL- (calm)

ubiquitous (adj) - seeming to appear or exist everywhere; omnipresent
BREAKDOWN: The Latin ubique means everywhere and can be broken down into UBI meaning where and QUE which can mean many things but, in this case, means both every and also maybe where.

Many of the challenging words we haven’t covered (yet) were based on word roots:

abridge: BRIDGE- is a variant of BREV- (short)

aggregation: GREG- (crowd)

amass: A- (to) + MASS- (heap, pile)

attenuated: TENU- (proceed, stretch)

attrition: TRIT- is a variant of TERE- (to rub)

contentious: TENU- (proceed, stretch)

corroborate: CO- (together) + ROB- (strength) + -ATE (to make) [variant of RUB-]

dearth: DEAR- (precious, valuable)

denote: NOT- (mark)

detrimental: TRIM- is a variant of TERE- (to rub)

dispassionate: PASS- (to suffer)

dissonance: SON- (to sound)

emblematic: BLEM- is a variant of BOL- (throw or put)

enumerate: NUM- (number)

extraneous: EXTRA- (outside of)

immoderate: MOD- (measure, manner)

impartial: PART- (part, party)

intercede: INTER- (between) + CED- (go)

invariable: VARI- (bend, change)

nonchalance: CAL- (warm)

perturbation: PER- (thoroughly) + TURB- (disorder)

replicable: PLIC- (plait, fold)

sentimental: SENT- (feel, think)

supplant: PLANT- (sole of the foot)

transpose: TRANS- (change) + POS- (place)

visionary: VIS- (to see)

Only one critical word lacked a clear connection to classical roots, but this is the second test in a row that knowing the word stipulate would have been helpful.

If the SAT is in your future, you should learn all of these words. For more Vocab Audits, explore our SAT/ACT Resources page.

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