Getting ready for success on the SAT is ultimately preparation for success in college. If you don’t have a college-level vocabulary before you start this process, you better do your best to have one by the time you’re done! Start with the words that appear most often on the SAT.
The September SAT served up fewer challenging words than usual but made up in predictability what was lacking in quantity, including not 1, not 2, but 3 of the Top 15 SAT Words of 2025. Thanks to all those self-prep heroes on the r/SAT subreddit—led by supermod yodatsracist—for sharing the most challenging vocabulary they encountered on the U.S. and International administrations of the September 2026 SAT.
✨ Here are the challenging September 2026 words we’ve already featured on Roots2Words:
ambivalent (adj) - simultaneously experiencing opposing or contradictory feelings; having mixed feelings; conflicted or uncertain
BREAKDOWN: AMBI- (both) + VAL- (strong) + -ENT (being)
attenuate (verb) - to weaken or reduce in amount, force, or magnitude; to make longer and thinner 🔥🔥 Top 15 SAT Word of 2025 🔥🔥
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + TENU- (stretch) + -ATE (to make)
byzantine (adj) - excessively complex, intricate, or convoluted; marked by overly complicated administrative detail; of or relating to the ancient city of Byzantium
BREAKDOWN: derived from the ancient Greek city of Byzantium
contingent (adj) - conditional based on circumstances; liable to occur; possible; subject to chance
BREAKDOWN: CON- (with) + TING- (touch) + -ENT (state of)
enigmatic (adj) - puzzling, perplexing, or mysterious; difficult to interpret or understand
BREAKDOWN: derived from the Greek ainigma meaning riddle, taunt, or dark saying.
entail (verb) - to require, include, or involve as a necessary part or consequence; to impose by requirement or consequence
BREAKDOWN: EN- (into) + TAIL- (to cut to shape)
epitomize (verb) - to be a perfect example of something; to represent, exemplify, or typify 🔥🔥 Top 15 SAT Word of 2025 🔥🔥
BREAKDOWN: EPI- (in addition) + TOM- (to cut) + -IZE (make or do)
fiscal (adj) - of or pertaining to government revenue, public debt, or taxation; relating to the public treasury
BREAKDOWN: FISC- (treasury, purse) + -AL (pertaining to)
idiosyncratic (adj) - peculiar to a specific individual; having strange, specific, or distinctive habits 👉 THIRD time in a row 👈
BREAKDOWN: IDIO- (peculiar) + SYN- (together) + CRA- (mixture) + -TIC (characterized by)
implausible (adj) - not appearing to be true; provoking disbelief
BREAKDOWN: IM- (not) + PLAUS- (approve) + -IBLE (able to be)
lament (verb) - to weep, mourn, or express grief or regret
BREAKDOWN: LAMENT- (wailing or moaning)
onerous (adj) - involving a great deal of difficulty, effort, or obligation; burdensome
BREAKDOWN: ONER- (burden) + -OUS (full of)
paradigm (noun) - a classic or typical example; a detailed model or framework
BREAKDOWN: PARA- (beside) + DIGM- (to show)
—paradigmatic means of or pertaining to an example or model
perturb (verb) - to disturb greatly; to upset; to throw into confusion
BREAKDOWN: PER- (thoroughly) + TURB- (disorder)
pragmatic (adj) - practical, logical, or sensible in making decisions and solving problems; realistic instead of idealistic
BREAKDOWN: derived from the Greek prāgmatikós meaning practical.
rescind (verb) - to void or repeal; to cut off or abolish
BREAKDOWN: RE- (back) + SCIS- (to cut)
rudimentary (adj) - elementary, fundamental, or basic; pertaining to first principles
BREAKDOWN: RUD- (rough) + -MENT (state) + -ARY (pertaining to)
✨ Many of the challenging words we haven’t covered (yet) were based on word roots:
ample (adj) - enough or more than enough; spacious, abundant, or extra
BREAKDOWN: AMPL- (large or great)
debunk (verb) - to expose lies, exaggeration, or general nonsense; to discredit or refute
BREAKDOWN: Based on the word bunkum meaning nonsense
elusive (adj) - hard to grasp, express, or define
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + LUS- (to play) + -IVE (prone to)
enumerate (verb) - to count or list one by one; to provide a complete, specific, and clear account 🔥🔥 Top 15 SAT Word of 2025 🔥🔥
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + NUMER- (number, to count) + -ATE (to make or do)
fraudulent (adj) - dishonest; false; based on deceit
FRAUD- (deceit, guile) + -UL (relating to) + -ENT (state of)
obviate (verb) - to remove a difficulty or prevent in advance
BREAKDOWN: OB- (against) + VI- (way) + -ATE (to make or do)
periodical (noun) - a publication that is released at regular recurring intervals
BREAKDOWN: PERI- (around) + ODE- (way) + -ICAL (pertaining to)
polity (noun) - an organized society, nation, or group with a collective identity and a structured system of government; a political organization or group
BREAKDOWN: POLIT- (citizen, state) + -Y (made of)
preclude (verb) - to prevent; to make impossible by previous action
BREAKDOWN: PRE- (before) + CLUD- (to shut)
prevalent (adj) - widespread or popular; predominant
BREAKDOWN: PRE- (before) + VAL- (strong) + -ENT (being)
resolve (verb) - to settle a problem or disagreement; to make a firm personal decision or determination
BREAKDOWN: RE- (back) + SOLV- (to release)
—resolve as a noun is firmness of intent or commitment
✨ As is often the case, every challenging vocabulary word on this test possessed a clear connection to classical roots. Roots2Words for the win!
⚡If the SAT is in your future, you should learn all of these words. For more Vocab Audits, explore our SAT/ACT Resources page. ⚡
“Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge