New (2016) SAT Vocabulary Commonly Confused Words (Multiple-Choice Writing Section) Accept - Verb, Receive Except - Excluding Access - Verb, Gain entrance to; Noun, The right to enter or approach Excess - Noun, Adjective, Too much Advice - Noun, Recommendation, suggestion. Ex: My best friend usually gives very good advice. Advise - Verb, To make a recommendation or suggestion. Ex: Residents were advised to remain indoors during the storm. Affect - Verb, To have an impact Effect - Noun, impact Aisle - Space between a row of chairs Isle - Island Allusion - Reference Illusion - Fantasy Allude (to) - Refer (to) Elude - Avoid, Evade Ascent - Noun, Upward movement Assent - Agreement Brake - Device that has a slowing/stopping effect Break - Rest or relief Breadth - Size, Width Breath - Noun, What comes out your mouth when you breathe Breathe - Verb, To inhale and exhale Censor - Remove offensive or inappropriate parts Censure - Punish Cite - Verb, Reference Site - Noun, Location Sight - Noun, Ability to see Collaborate - Work with Corroborate - Confirm, make certain 1 www.thecriticalreader.com Conscience - Noun, Inner sense of right and wrong (Noun form = conscientious) Conscious - Adjective, Awareness (Noun form = consciousness) Council - Noun, Governing body Counsel - Noun, Advice/opinion; Verb, To advise Creak - Harsh or squeaking sound Creek - Small body of water Desert - Dry, sandy region Dessert - A sweet Device - Noun, Object with a specific function Devise - Verb, Invent, come up with Decent - Adjective, Respectable, fair Descent - Noun, Go down Dissent - Noun, Go against popular opinion Elicit – Draw out Illicit – Illegal, not permitted Eminent - Well-known Imminent - About to occur Emit - Give off, discharge Omit - Remove, leave out Faze - To be disturbed Phase - Period, length of time Find - To locate Found - To establish Formally - In a refined manner Formerly - In the past Gorilla - Type of great ape Guerilla - Irregular warfare or fighters Hardly - Barely Heartily - Without restraint, energetically Heard - Past tense of hear Herd - Group of animals 2 www.thecriticalreader.com Imply - Suggest. Infer - Draw a conclusion (In)credible - (Un)believable (In)credulous - (Dis)believing Influence - Effect Affluence - Wealth Later - Adverb, Afterward Latter - Adjective, The second thing mentioned (e.g. Between chocolate and vanilla ice cream, I prefer the latter.) Lay - Set an object down. This verb is followed by a noun, e.g. To lay a book on the table. Lie - To recline. This verb is not followed by a noun, e.g. I am going to lie down for a few minutes before dinner. Led - Past tense of "to lead" Lead - 1) Infinitive form of "to lead;" 2) Lessen - Verb, Reduce Lesson - Noun, Something that is taught Loose - Adjective, roomy Lose - Verb, The opposite of win Manner - Behavior or way of acting Manor - Estate Passed - Past tense of to pass Past - Noun, Earlier time Peace - Calm, harmony Piece - Section, portion Peak - Noun, Highest point Peek - Verb, To look quickly, glimpse Plain - Adjective, Simple, not fancy Plane - Noun, Flat surface or airplane Persecute - Harass or torment a person because of their characteristics or beliefs Prosecute - Conduct legal proceedings against someone 3 www.thecriticalreader.com Perspective - Point of view Prospective - Potential Precede - Come before Proceed - To go forward, carry on Pore - Verb, To read or study with great attention (pore over) Poor - Adjective, Lacking money Pour - Verb, To send a liquid flowing (e.g. pour a glass of milk) Principal - Most important Principle - Accepted rule Reign - Noun, Period of rule Rein - Noun, Leather straps used to control a horse; Verb, To control or curb (rein in) Respectfully - In a polite manner Respectively - Pertaining to individuals in sequence, e.g. The book and magazine belong respectively to my brother and sister. This means that the book (mentioned first) belongs to the brother (mentioned first) and the magazine (mentioned second) belongs to the sister (mentioned second). Role - Noun, Part or character Roll - Verb, Move on a wheel Statue - Three-dimensional work of art Statute - Law or regulation Tenant - Person who lives in a particular dwelling Tenet - Principle or doctrine Than - Used for comparisons. My brother is two years older than I am. Then - Used to indicate sequence. We went to the movie, and then we went home. Wave - Move back forth, flutter Waive - Give up one's right to something 4 www.thecriticalreader.com Key Vocabulary for Passage Comprehension (compiled primarily from released College Board exams) Aesthetic (sometimes sp. esthetic) - Relating to beauty or appearance Affluent - Wealthy, well-off Aggregate - Compilation, formation of particulars into a whole Alienated - Estranged Anomaly - Exception, outlier Antipathy - Intense dislike Apt - Appropriate, fitting Array - Verb, To place in proper order Authoritative - Carrying the weight of authority, trustworthy Belie - Give a false impression Benevolent - Kindly Calibrate - Adjust information against a standard in order to determine its accuracy Candid - Clear, direct Cognitive - Relating to the brain Combatant - Fighter Conceive - Imagine (In) Concert - Together (e.g. working in concert = working together) Condone - Quietly accept illegal or immoral behavior Consensus - Agreement Constitution - Composition, makeup Contemplate - Think about Contest - Verb, protest, dispute 5 www.thecriticalreader.com Contingent - Dependent on Conviction - Strong belief Crux - Central problem or idea of a discussion, argument, etc. Cultivate - Develop and improve Curious - Odd Demographic - Specific segment of the population with the same characteristics Demur - Object, raise doubts Desolate - Bare, empty Discord - Disagreement Disdain - Look down on Disenfranchised - Oppressed Disparity - Gap, difference Disseminate - Spread Diverge - Separate, go away from Doctrine - Set of policies or teachings Domestic - Relating to one's home or country Dubious - Doubtful, questioning Earnest - Serious Efficacious - Effective Endeavor - Attempt Exalted - Elevated, noble Expenditure - Expense Exponent - Proponent of an idea or theory 6 www.thecriticalreader.com Extant - Existing Faculties - Mental/physical abilities Feasible - Doable Fiscal - Relating to money Florid - Fancy, decorated Foment - Rile up, incite Galvanize - Energize Grievance - Complaint Gross - Total amount Ignominious - Publicly shameful Immune - Unaffected by Immure - Confine or enclose Indifferent - Not caring Inevitable, Inexorable - Unavoidable Kudos - Praise Liaison - 1) Close bond or relationship; 2) Go-between, intermediary Malice - Evil intent Moral - Concerned with the distinction between right and wrong; ethics Parity - Equality Pathogen - Harmful microorganism Perchance - Perhaps Peril(ous) - Danger(ous) Perish - Die, disappear 7 www.thecriticalreader.com Phenomenon - Occurrence Piety, Pious - Dutifully fulfilling religious obligations Poignant - Touching Populist - Appealing to the interests of ordinary people Posterity - Future generations Postulate - Set forth an argument Prevail - Win, overcome Pristine - Flawless Ramp (up) - Increase Raw - Pure, unfiltered Reconcile – Bring together, make up with Redress - Remedy, correction for a wrong Religiously - Strictly Remedy - Cure Repel - Push away Reverie - Dreamy state Rhetorical - Relating to terms/language used to persuade Sanction - Authorize OR penalize, depending on context. Sanctions = punishments Scrutinize - Examine closely Skeptical - Questioning, suspicious Spawn - Give rise to Speculate - Theorize Sphere - Particular environment or world (e.g. the professional sphere, the athletic sphere) 8 www.thecriticalreader.com Stipulate - Require (often used in a legal context) Subjugate - Oppress Subordinate - Lower-ranking Subversive - Rebellious, going against the establishment Suffrage - Right to vote Summit - Highest point Susceptible - Vulnerable, capable of being affected Synthetic - Fake Temper - Verb, To moderate Traction - Grip, adhesion Transgress - Violate, go beyond Tyranny, Tyrant - Cruel and oppressive rule(r) Ubiquitous - Ever-present Uniform - Same, identical (Un)becoming - (Un)attractive, (un)fitting Venerable - Deeply respected Versatile - Flexible Viable - Workable, capable of surviving Wrest - Pull away with effort Yield - Give in 9 www.thecriticalreader.com