SAT Vocab Audit: May 2025

Tracking the most troublesome tested words

On high stakes exams like the SAT, words matter, especially when you don’t know enough of them. A command of English vocabulary serves as a signal of strong reading ability and facilitates higher test scores. That's why I avidly analyze trends into what words most frustrate test takers on important exams.

The May SAT certainly delivered a variety of vocabulary challenges and seems to have returned to a previously noted preponderance of verbs. 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 May 2025 SAT.

Here are the challenging May 2025 words we've already featured on Roots2Words. including many we’ve be waiting a long time to see:

alleviate (verb) - to make more bearable; to lessen pain, grief, or suffering
BREAKDOWN: A- (toward) + LEV- (light) + -IATE (to make or do)

ameliorate (verb) - to make better or more bearable; to improve, alleviate, or solve
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + MELIOR- (better) + -ATE (to make or do)

anomalous (adj) - abnormal, peculiar, or irregular; deviating or departing from the common order, form, or rule
BREAKDOWN: AN- (not) + HOMO- (same) + -AL (pertaining to) + -OUS (state of)

eschew (verb) - to intentionally avoid, abstain, or keep away from
BREAKDOWN: E- (completely) + SCHEU- (fear, shrink from)

equivocal (adj) - having two different interpretations, or equal voices; evasive or ambiguous
BREAKDOWN: EQUI- (equal) + VOC- (speak) + -AL (pertaining to)

evince (verb) - to show or demonstrate convincingly; to prove
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + VINC- (overcome)

exacerbate (verb) - to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of; to make worse
BREAKDOWN: EX- (out) + ACERB- (sharp) + -ATE (make)

facetious (adj) - not meant to be taken seriously; joking, witty, or frivolous, particularly at serious or inappropriate times
BREAKDOWN: The meaning of the word facetious has evolved a bit over time from its original definition of witty or amusing. The word itself though really hasn’t changed from the original Latin facetia meaning jest. or, more recently, the French facétieux.

idiosyncratic (adj) - peculiar to a specific individual; having strange, specific, or distinctive habits
BREAKDOWN: IDIO- (peculiar) + SYN- (together) + CRA- (mixture) + -TIC (characterized by)

inexplicable (adj) - incapable of being explained, understood, or accounted for
BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + EX- (out) + PLIC- (plait, fold) + -ABLE (able to be)

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

proponent (noun) - one who proposes or argues in support of something; an advocate
BREAKDOWN: PRO- (forward) + PON- (to put) + -ENT (one who does)

rescind (verb) - to void or repeal; to cut off or abolish
BREAKDOWN: RE- (back) + SCIS- (to cut)

surreptitious (adj) – furtive; clandestine; done stealthily or in secret
BREAKDOWN: SUR- (from under) + RAP- (to snatch or seize) + -OUS (full of)

tenuous (adj) - flimsy, weak, or thin; having little strength or substance
BREAKDOWN: TEN- (thin) + -OUS (having qualities of)

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.

vindicate (verb) - to clear from guilt or accusation; to uphold or defend; to justify or redeem
BREAKDOWN: VIN- (force) + DIC- (show) + -ATE (to do)

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

augment: AUG- (increase) + -MENT (state)

belie: BE- (to do) + LIE- (lie)

coalesce: CO- (together) + ALI- (to grow) + -ESCE (become)

contentious: CON- (completely) + TENS- (stretch) + -IOUS (full of)

decouple: DE- (undo) + COUPL- (to unite)

decry: DE- (down) + CRY- (to cry)

expedite: EX- (out) + PED- (foot) + -ITE (to make or do)

fecund: FE- (to suckle) + -UND (state)

heterogeneity : HETERO- (other) + GEN- (class) + -ITY (quality)

induce: IN- (toward) + DUC- (lead)

insurmountable: IN- (not) + SUR- (over) + MOUNT- (mountain) + -ABLE (capable of)

misconstrue: MIS- (wrong) + CON- (together) + STRUE- (to pile up)

modulate: MOD- (measure) + -UL (relating to) + -ATE (to make or do)

orthodox: ORTHO- (correct) + DOX- (belief)

preclude: PRE- (before) + CLUD- (shut)

recapitulate: RE- (again) + CAPIT- (head) + -UL (relating to) + -ATE (to do)

refute: RE- (back) + FUT- (beat)

steward: STY- (hall) + WARD- (to watch or guard)

substantiate: SUB- (under) + STAN- (stand, be firm) + -IATE (to make)

supplant: SUP- (under) + PLANT- (sole of the foot)

unfounded: UN- (not) + FUND (foundation) + -ED (made or done)

Multiple words such as burgeoning, harbinger, and oscillate lacked a clear connection to classical roots, but should still be high on the list of words to learn for the SAT!

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

“Study the past if you would divine the future.” —Confucius