The SAT Essay: Basic Principles
RocketRule #4: Use Smart-Sounding Words
I know that English teachers often tell students not to use big words just
because they're big, but trust me, on the SAT essay, big words have a better
chance of impressing graders than do their smaller synonyms.
I wish I didn't have to write this—and I know that many teachers will object—
but, smart people do use certain words to connect with other smart people.
Yes, it's almost a code language.
Don't great writers tend to use simple language? Yes, but so do simpletons,
and SAT readers blitzing their way through a mountain of essays can't afford
the time to distinguish between the two.
While it's true that the best word is the one that says precisely what you
mean, it's also true that big words impress SAT graders. Don't go overboard
or it will seem like you're trying to impress. Just sprinkle your essay with at
least a few big words so that your opinion sounds authoritative.
100 Words That Really Impress SAT Graders—Make Sure Your Essay
Includes at Least a Few
It's likely that you'll be able to use certain big words more frequently than
others because the same topics and themes show up time and again on SAT
essays. The following list emphasizes those SAT words that you can probably
work into just about any assigned essay topic (they're also great words to
know in any event).
This list is compiled from the words professional writers use most often when
writing persuasive essays. It isn't intended to be complete. Examine any oped ("opposite-the-editorial") piece in your local newspaper and you'll find at
least one word, or a variation of it, from this list. I wouldn't be surprised if you
found half a dozen or more. Again, this list gives special weight to the
rhetorical concepts that occur most frequently in SAT essays.
Don't get overwhelmed and think you have to use every word on this list. Just
try to include a few of these words or similar ones in your essay. These words
are especially effective in the first and last paragraphs of SAT essays, which
the graders read most carefully.
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acute
adage
addressing
aesthetic
allusion
altruism
anachronism
anecdote
antithesis
aphorism
aspect
aspiration
assess
attribute
autonomy
coherent
compromised
concede
contend
context
conventional
conviction
culminate
depict
dichotomy
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discord
disparate
distinct
distinguish
doctrine
dogmatic
echoed
egalitarian
empirical
enduring
entail
epitome
epoch
ephemeral
ethical
evoke
exemplify
explicit
facet
feasible
ideology
immutable
implication
indifferent
indigenous
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inequitable
inevitable
inherent
intrinsic
irony
lament
legitimacy
manifest
momentous
notably
notion
nuance
objectivity
orthodox
paradigm
paradox
pervasive
plausible
pragmatic
predominant
premise
presumably
prodigious
profound
prominent
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proponent
proposition
provocative
quintessential
realm
relentless
reminiscent
resolve
revelation
revere
rhetorical
scrutiny
secular
subjective
subtle
sublime
thesis
tantamount
transcend
ubiquitous
undermine
unparalleled
unprecedented
viable
widespread
By the way, all these words are "good SAT words" that you should know for the
critical reading section; half of these words even make it to our core Power Ranked
List of the 323 most valuable words to know for the SAT Reading Test.
Practice the List
Try to use these words in your everyday school papers. Here's another idea. How
about astounding your friends by casually dropping these words into your lunchtime
conversation around the cafeteria table?
Refer to the list frequently, especially as you write your school papers. You'll quickly
become more comfortable using these words in your everyday conversation and
writing. Plus you'll impress your teachers!
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Instead of this Common Essay Consider Using a Variant of One of These
Word
SAT-Words
A lot
Prodigious
Argue
Contend
Based, basic
Premise, fundamental
cause, because, result
Evoke, endgender, prompt, provoke, elicit,
precipitate, animate, inaugurate, attribute
Common, typical, everyday
Prevalent, pervasive, conventional, orthodox,
status quo, ubiquitous, widespread
Consequence, result
Implication, outcome, aftermath, tantamount,
ramification
Difference
Disparity, dichotomy, discrepancy, diversity,
distinction, distinguish
Hard, difficult, difficulty
Dilemma, paradox, vexing, quagmire, arduous,
intricate, inextricable, problematic
Easy, practical, quick
Pragmatic, expedient, viable, tenable
Example, evidence, instance,
illustration
Paradigm, archetype, empirical, epitome,
exemplify
Experience, story
Anecdote, chronicle
False
Untenable, fallacious
Free, freedom
Autonomy, sovereignty
Help, assist
Facilitate, bolster, foster, expedite
Hurt, hinder
Compromise, undermine
Illustrate
highlight, exemplify, epitomize, substantiate,
embody, underscore
Important
Paramount, momentous
Main character
Protagonist
Mother, father, brother, sister
maternal, paternal, sibling
Natural, essential, need,
necessary, require
Inherent, innate, intrinsic, quintessential,
implicit, underlying
New, unique, unusual
Unparalleled, unprecedented, singular, novel
Opposite
Antithesis
Part
Feature, aspect, attribute, facet
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Period, time, era, centuries,
history
Epoch, millennium (millennia)
Possible
Plausible, credible, tenable, viable
Show, obvious
Manifest, ostensibly, explicit, depict
Similar, equivalent
Parallel, analogous, affinity, reminiscent,
echoed, coherent
Situation
Context, domain, realm
Notion, proposition, adage, maxim, doctrine,
Statement, idea, view, opinion,
tenet, credo, thesis, contention, dogma,
belief, phrase, theme, expression
presupposition
True, absolute, definite
Irrefutable, immutable, objective, categorically,
inescapable, incontrovertible
Unfortunately
Lamentably
Very, quite, really
Particularly, notable, exceptionally, singularly
Squeeze at Least Two SAT Words into Your Very First Paragraph
My research shows that including just two SAT words in the first paragraph or your
essay can raise your overall essay score by as much as a full point on the 2-to-12
scale. That translates to a quick 20 points in your overall 200-800 score on the
Writing Test!
The typical SAT essay instructions includes a statement to be commented on—
usually you will be asked to agree or disagree—and asks you for examples to
support your view. The instructions alone open the door for you to include the
words "statement" and "example" in your essay answer. And luckily for you, those
words have synonyms on our list of impressive-sounding words. See below:
For instance, instead of ending the first paragraph with this sentence:
The idea that our most careful plans sometimes go awry is illustrated
by examples in history as well as in literature.
If you are clever you could write this:
The notion that our most careful plans sometimes go awry is
exemplified by a number of prominent instances in history as well as in
literature.
Hey, that's three SAT words. A little finesse like that would have boosted your final
200-800 Writing Test score by 20 points or more!
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