SAT Vocabulary · Level 1

High-Frequency Words

These 12 words appear again and again across SAT reading passages and writing questions — knowing them cold saves time on test day.

Practice this set for free — no account needed. Loads 12 flashcards into the learner.

How to study this set

Write your own sentence for each word using a topic you actually care about — it makes the word stick far better than the dictionary example.

kind and generous

benevolent

The benevolent donor funded the entire scholarship program.

the quality of being open and honest

candor

She spoke with surprising candor about her mistakes.

lacking in some necessary quality or element

deficient

The report was deficient in supporting evidence.

to improve the quality or value of something

enhance

The new lighting enhanced the room’s appearance.

possible to do easily or conveniently

feasible

Is it feasible to finish the project by Friday?

careful and economical in spending

frugal

She has always been frugal, saving a portion of every paycheck.

treating all sides fairly, not favoring one over another

impartial

A judge must remain impartial throughout the trial.

to conclude something based on evidence and reasoning

infer

From her expression, I inferred that something was wrong.

lacking excitement, ordinary

mundane

He described his job as mundane and repetitive.

famous for something bad

notorious

The city is notorious for its traffic jams.

not well known, or unclear

obscure

The reference was too obscure for most readers to catch.

widespread, common in a particular area or at a particular time

prevalent

Remote work became far more prevalent after 2020.

Next: Level 2, "Challenging Words" — for a stronger verbal score.