175 ACT Vocabulary Words You Need to Master

Why do you need to learn ACT vocabulary words? Well, you probably already know that many schools require you to take the ACT exam and that your admission to those schools can partially depend upon your ACT score. And whether you’re as monosyllabic as Baby Yoda or you’ve loved being loquacious since you first read Fancy Nancy in preschool, the ACT will manage to throw some fairly esoteric (adj. likely to be understood only by a small number of people) vocab words your way that can make the test pretty arduous (adj. involving or requiring strenuous effort).

What’s more, the ACT is a timed test. The English section is comprised of 75 questions you’ll need to answer within 45 minutes. The Reading test has 40 questions and is 35 minutes long. And the Writing test is a 40-minute exam that will ask you to read a prompt and respond to it, analyzing your response in comparison to others.

On each of these test sections, ACT vocabulary words will appear in reading passages, questions and writing prompts. Since time is of the essence, it’s crucial to give yourself as much of it as possible! Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the more common ACT vocab words you may find because, simply put, you’ll be able to read the passages and questions more quickly if you have mastery over these ACT vocabulary words.

Related: For more specific information on the ACT’s structure and scoring, along with the length and requirements of each section, see our ACT Score Calculator page. Additionally, click here for a list of 250 SAT Vocabulary Words.

What if I’m a poor test-taker? How will learning vocab words help me?

For starters, if you have a language barrier or disability that may hinder you from completing the ACT, be sure to seek accommodations! Everyone deserves a fair shot at taking this test, so don’t be afraid to ask for the assistance you need. But… what if you don’t qualify for testing accommodations and you’re still not great at standardized tests? Perhaps you’re one of the 10% to 30% of high school-aged students who suffers from text-taking anxiety[i] (which can be present even if you don’t suffer from anxiety in non-evaluative situations).[ii] [iii] Or perhaps, even if you don’t believe in the right-brain / left-brain dichotomy, you still feel confident in the Math and Science portions of the ACT but find that the language-based portions of the test are a personal weakness.[iv]

Never fear! Along with studying our list of ACT vocabulary words, you can bolster (v. support or strengthen) your test-taking abilities with practice tests, reading, and physical health interventions.

A Few Tips on Studying ACT Vocabulary Words

You should be happy to hear that not all of these ACT vocab words are sesquipedalian (adj. having many syllables) and one of the easiest ways to commit them to memory is to make them into flashcards. Once made, set aside time every day to flip through your cards. After you’ve mastered a word, set it aside until your pile of unknown flashcards is completely gone. Finally, revisit the words every few days or so until it’s test time. If you’ve got a knack for memorizing vocabulary words and you’re thirsty for more, be sure to check out our list of 250 SAT vocab words as well!

As you study, be careful of ACT vocab words that sound like other words (e.g. “complement” vs. “compliment”) and words that are often used both literally and figuratively (“maelstrom”). It’s also important to brush up on words that may appear in the actual test questions – not just the sample reading passages. For instance, you can bet some ACT vocab words like “narrator,” “protagonist,” “antagonist,” “climax,” “genre,” “anecdote” and “synonym” will show up in ACT question lines. Finally, don’t forget to check out the ACT practice tests themselves – these will offer a glimpse into important vocabulary words while letting you take a spin in the driver’s seat of the exam.

Reading: A Holistic Approach to Studying

Aside from practice tests and ACT vocab word flashcards, you can take more general steps to make yourself a stronger test taker. For instance, instead of loading up on Takis and Sour Patch Kids, consider adding fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins into your diet in the weeks and months before the exam.[v] [vi] Getting good rest, drinking lots of water, and exercising will also contribute to better scores on test day.[vii] Trust me, your brain will thank you for it!

Finally, a less direct way to boost your knowledge of potential ACT vocabulary words is reading – even for pleasure! Studies have shown that those who read for pleasure often perform better on cognitive tests than those who don’t.[viii] Additionally, though our list below is a long one, it certainly isn’t exhaustive (adj. including everything; fully comprehensive) – leisure reading can provide exposure to unlisted ACT vocab words, along with practice developing your comprehension through contextual clues.

Most importantly, remember: standardized tests don’t necessarily measure your intelligence or how well you’ll ultimately do in college – they measure how well you can take tests on a given topic. So, take a deep breath, make some ACT vocab word flashcards, and good luck!

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Works Cited – ACT Vocabulary Words

[i] Putwain, David W., Kristina Stockinger, Nathaniel P. von der Embse, Shannon M. Suldo, Martin Daumiller. “Test anxiety, anxiety disorders, and school-related wellbeing: Manifestations of the same or different constructs?” Journal of Psychology, Vol. 88, October 2021, pp. 47-67. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022440521000534

[ii] Bertrams, Alex, Chris Englert, Oliver Dickhauser. “Self-control strength in the relation between trait test anxiety and state anxiety.” Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 44, Issue 6, December 2010, pp. 738-741. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656610001248

[iii] Even students who have a high level of emotional well-being may suffer from test anxiety, as exams can precipitate and worsen stress. Koudela-Hamila, Sousanne, Joshua Smyth, Philip Santangelo, Ulrich Ebner-Priemer. “Examination stress in academic students: a multimodal, real-time, real-life investigation of reported stress, social contact, blood pressure, and cortisol.” Journal of American College Health, 2022 May-June. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32669059/

Works Cited (Continued)

[iv] Tania Lombrozo, “The Truth About the Left Brain /Right Brain Relationship.” NPR: Cosmos & Culture, 2 December 2013. https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2013/12/02/248089436/the-truth-about-the-left-brain-right-brain-relationship

[v] Kubala, Jillian. “The Top 9 Brain Foods for Studying and Exams.” Healthline. Last medically reviewed 12 October 2020. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/brain-food-for-studying

[vi] Spencer, Sarah J., Aniko Korosi, Sophie Laye, Barara Shukitt-Hale and Ruth Barrientos. “Food for thought: how nutrition impacts cognition and emotion.” NPJ Science of Food. 2017.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-017-0008-y

[vii] Zhang, Xueyan, Wenhao Li, and Jinghao Wang. “Effects of Exercise Intervention on Students’ Test Anxiety: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, June 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9180005/

[viii] Yun-Jun Sun, Barbara J. Sahakian, Christelle Langley, Anyi Yang, Yuchao Jiang, Jujiao Kang, Xingming Zhao, Chunhe Li, Wei Cheng, Jianfeng Feng. Early-initiated childhood reading for pleasure: associations with better cognitive performance, mental well-being and brain structure in young adolescence. Psychological Medicine, 2023