Top 15 SAT Words of 2025
Which challenging words appeared most often?
We take our SAT Vocabulary Audits seriously around here, as that influential exam historically sets the tone for the level of English language mastery correlated with success in school and society at large. Our careful scrutiny of student reports of the unprecedented eight SAT National and International administrations in 2025 uncovered a total of 236 words that test takers reported as challenging. Of these words, 59 of them appeared at least twice and 15 appeared three times or more.
Let’s look at the 15 words every SAT test taker should know along with how many times each word appeared on the SAT in 2025:
abate (verb) - to diminish in force or intensity *4 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: A- (toward) + BAT- (beat)
—abatement is the act or condition of lessening or reducing; that which is lessened or reduced; mitigation, suppression, or termination
abridge (verb) - to shorten or condense *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + BRIDGE- (short)
—abridgement is the act, state, or process of shortening a larger work while keeping its main ideas; a curtailment of rights
attenuate (verb) - to weaken or reduce in amount, force, or magnitude; to make longer and thinner *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + TENU- (stretch) + -ATE (to make)
augment (verb) - to make larger, greater, or stronger; to build on what already exists *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: AUG- (to increase) + -MENT (act or state)
—augmentation is the process or product of making something greater through addition
contentious (adj) - argumentative or quarrelsome; involving or inviting disagreement or strife *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: CON- (completely) + TENS- (stretch) + -IOUS (full of)
—contention is an act or state of opposition, competition, or controversy
emanate (verb) - to issue, originate, or flow from; to give off or emit *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + MANA- (to flow) + -ATE (make or do)
—emanation is a radiation, emission, or effusion; the act of issuing or proceeding from a source
enumerate (verb) - to count or list one by one; to provide a complete, specific, and clear account *4 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + NUMER- (number, to count) + -ATE (to make or do)
—enumeration is the act of counting or listing items one by one, often formally
epitome (noun) - the ideal example or embodiment of something; a summary or abstract *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: EPI- (in addition) + TOM- (to cut)
—epitomize is to be a perfect example of something; to represent, exemplify, or typify
eschew (verb) - to intentionally avoid, abstain, or keep away from *4 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: E- (completely) + SCHEU- (fear, shrink from)
—eschewal is the act or means of abstention or avoidance
harbinger (noun) - someone or something that foreshadows an event or signals the approach of another; a forerunner or precursor *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: derives from the Old French herbergeor meaning to shelter or take shelter
—harbinger as a verb means to announce or herald an imminent arrival
manifest (verb) - to exhibit or reveal plainly or distinctly; to use clear intentions, visualization, affirmation, and other indirect actions to help achieve goals and attract wealth and success *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: MAN- (hand) + FEST- (seize)
—manifest as an adjective means evident to the mind or senses; distinctly perceived
—manifest as a noun means a list of passengers or cargo for a vehicle
—manifestation is the act or state of being demonstrated or made real; an appearance or indication
meticulous (adj) - extremely or overly careful in thinking about or dealing with small details; precise, picky, or punctilious *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: derives from the Latin metus, meaning fear, apprehension, or anxiety.
subdued (adj) - muted, restrained, or controlled; quiet and reflective *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: SUB- (under, away) + DUC- (lead) + -ED (made or done)
—subdue means to reduce, overcome, or bring under control
—subdual is the act or process of bringing under control or conquering
transpose (verb) - to reverse, transfer, or change the order of something; to interchange *3 TIMES*
BREAKDOWN: TRANS- (across, over) + POS- (to put or place)
—a transpose is a matrix obtained from a different matrix by interchanging each row and its corresponding column
—transposition is the act or process of changing or exchanging the positions of two things
ubiquitous (adj) - seeming to appear or exist everywhere; omnipresent *6 TIMES*
—ubiquity is the act or the state of being or seeming to be everywhere all the time
BREAKDOWN: derives from the Latin ubique meaning everywhere
Will ubiquitous remain ubiquitous next year? What challenging words do you think will be most common on the SAT in 2026?