When I work with students to prepare for the ACT, I usually don’t recommend focusing on vocabulary flashcards. There are simply too many words in English to memorize all of them out of context this way, and that time is far better spent doing practice tests, learning ACT strategies, and simply reading.
However, there are some words that are worth learning specifically for the ACT.
These are words that are very frequently featured in ACT questions, and that can change the entire meaning of a sentence or paragraph.
Read on to see the list of words that I recommend students memorize for the ACT, and grab this free pdf to get a handy vocabulary study list.
The most important vocabulary words to know for the ACT are transition words (or phrases).
Transition words connect two different ideas. They control how two ideas are connected. Depending on which transition word you choose, you can create wildly different logical relationships between the ideas.
Consider the different meanings of these sentences:
I like him — however, my mom likes him, too.
I like him — furthermore, my mom likes him, too.
There’s a totally different story there, right?
The ACT tends to focus on transition words a lot. Up to 10% of questions on the English section of the ACT are specifically focused on transition words, and many more questions on both the English section and the Reading section deal with transition words to a significant extent. That’s a lot of ACT test questions!
To do well on the ACT, make sure you understand and are comfortable using all of these transition words, organized by the type of relationship between ideas they create. Words in bold are words that have appeared on the ACT very often in recent years and should be prioritized:
Since
Therefore
Thus
As a result
As a consequence
Consequently
Subsequently
Correspondingly
Hence
Accordingly
For this reason
As such
Likewise
Similarly
In the same vein
However
Rather
In contrast
On the other hand
On the contrary
Contrary to this
Nonetheless
Nevertheless
Despite
Alternately
At the same time
Still
In fact
Indeed
Moreover
As a matter of fact
In other words
In essence
With this in mind
For this purpose
For the purpose of
In the hope that
To the end that
In the event that
After all
All things considered
In the meantime
Next
Subsequently
Firstly (secondly, thirdly, etc)
Moreover
Also
Furthermore
On the other hand
For example
For instance
As an illustration
In particular
In the first place
Get the definitions as a pdfWant help understanding and learning these words? Looking for real ACT questions that feature transition words?
I work with a limited number of students each more to prepare for the ACT, and my students are able to raise their test scores by an average of 5+ points! Reserve your spot directly here or email info@ivybloomacademics.com with any questions about one-on-one test prep.
The other category of words that are particularly important for the ACT are what I like to call “debate” words or “ideas” words.
These are words that explain how ideas are related, but aren’t transition words. Instead, many of these words are verbs (action words) or nouns (things).
I’ve created this list after many years of working with students and noting which hard words on the ACT actually cost students questions vs. which words students can work around.
Often the entire meaning of a ACT question or multiple-choice answer hinges on “debate” words like these, so they’re harder to work around or guess with context. They might appear on the English section, of course, but these words are also very important to the science and social science passages on the ACT Reading section. They’re also crucial to understanding the ACT Science section.
These words are also critical to understanding the kinds of texts students will have to read in college or even later as a working adult, so learning these words will have many benefits beyond the ACT.
I’ve grouped these “debate” or “ideas” words into broad categories to make them easier to learn:
Download list as a pdfWant to try real ACT questions that use these key vocab words? Sign up for one-on-one tutoring with me here or email info@ivybloomacademics.com for more advice about how to make your study time as effective as possible.
Finally, there are a small handful of words that appear so often on the ACT as key ideas that I’ve listed them here.
Remember that in general I don’t think it’s worth it to memorize list lists of ACT vocabulary words. With very few exceptions, the only words that I think are worth it to really make sure you know are the transition words and “debate” words listed above.
However, these are words that not only have appeared many times over the years, but are often crucial to understanding the main idea of a passage or a question. Unlike many other tough vocabulary words, these are key words that are hard to skip over or figure out by context.
These words are either integral to the content of a passage, or they’re used to describe the tone of a passage.
Here’s my final list of important words to learn for the ACT:
Curious about which real ACT passages on recent tests have used these words? Get access to dozens of real ACT tests, including tests from 2022 and 2023, when you work one-on-one with me for test prep. Sign up for high-quality ACT tutoring with me here or email info@ivybloomacademics.com to answer any questions.
In general I don’t recommend memorizing hundreds or thousands of ACT vocabulary words out of context. This may have a small benefit for the ACT, but all that study time would be far better spent on more effective types of ACT prep.
Apart from learning the limited list of high-priority words I’ve given here, the best way to build your vocabulary for the ACT and other tests is simply to read.
I’m a big fan of following your interests and choosing whatever books you genuinely enjoy. There’s lots of good evidence that the most important factor is the sheer amount of time you spend reading, not necessarily reading the “right” books.
That said, if you really want to expand your vocabulary, try reading at least some books that use some words you don’t know. Once in a while, take the time to look up some of these words (takes just a few seconds on your phone) — but you’ll gradually learn words based on context, too, without even realizing it.
For example, I know that I’ve got a very strong vocabulary. (For context, I got perfect scores on the language sections of the ACT and the SAT on the first try, I placed in a national vocabulary competition in middle school, I won many awards for my writing as a student at Princeton, and I’ve worked as a professional editor for big-name academic presses. I’m pretty good with words!)
But whenever I read novels by the English author A. S. Byatt, who has won the Booker prize and has written some of my favorite fiction books, there are always plenty of words that are new to me in every chapter. I know that reading Byatt’s books stretches my mind and my vocabulary in a way that some of my other favorite books simply don’t.
My other recommendation to ambitious students who really want to boost their vocabulary and reading skills is to read a more diverse array of books.
Definitely keep reading the books that you enjoy most, but try reading at least two non-fiction books per year on some topic that interests you. Try reading books that are written for adults, not for teens. Try reading something written about science, and something the uses statistical reasoning. Maybe try something that’s more abstract and philosophical. I still remember attempting to read a literary criticism book about my favorite poets (Keats and Shelley) when I was in high school. Did I fully understand it? Definitely not. But grabbing this scholarly book from the library and attempting to read some of it really expanded my ideas about what academic writing could be.
If you’re not a huge fan of reading books, you can also listen to books on tape or more academic podcasts, like “In Our Time” from the BBC, which interviews leading scholars about a different subject in history, science, or literature every week.
Reading a wide range of books across both fiction and non-fiction gives you a superpower that will be a huge help not only on the ACT, but in college and throughout the rest of your life.
When I work with students one-on-one on test prep and getting ready for college, I often help students find books that will interest them and boost their skills in a fun way. To work with me or get advice about reading lists, reach out at info@ivybloomacademics.com.
