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SAT Precise word choice

SAT Academic Precision

High-utility academic words that reward careful reading and exact writing.

Independent SAT study resource — not official exam material.

  • Teens and up
  • Academic English
  • Confident · B2
  • 30 words

The words

Every word in this set, with what it means. Tap a word to hear it.

adequate
enough for a particular purpose
“The sample size was adequate for the study.”
adverse
harmful or unfavorable
“The reform had adverse effects on small schools.”
comprehensive
complete and including nearly everything
“The report offers a comprehensive overview.”
conventional
following what is traditional or usual
“She rejected the conventional explanation.”
deficient
lacking something necessary
“The essay is deficient in concrete examples.”
elaborate
to add more detail
“Elaborate on your claim with one clear example.”
explicit
stated clearly and in detail
“The prompt asks for an explicit comparison.”
feasible
possible and practical to do
“Is the timeline feasible given the budget?”
hypothetical
based on a suggested idea rather than facts
“Consider a hypothetical case with two towns.”
inevitable
certain to happen and unable to be avoided
“Without change, decline seemed inevitable.”
legitimate
real, valid, or acceptable
“Students raised a legitimate concern.”
negligible
so small that it can be ignored
“The difference was negligible in practice.”
preliminary
coming before a main action or result
“These are only preliminary findings.”
relevant
closely connected to the matter at hand
“Keep only the most relevant evidence.”
sufficient
as much as is needed
“Is the evidence sufficient to support the claim?”
tentative
not certain or fixed; provisional
“Offer a tentative conclusion, then qualify it.”
viable
able to work successfully
“The plan is viable if funding continues.”
widespread
existing or happening over a large area or among many people
“There was widespread support for the change.”
approximate
close to the real number or value but not exact
“Give an approximate figure if exact data are missing.”
consistent
in agreement; not contradicting itself
“Keep your argument consistent from start to finish.”
ambiguous
having more than one possible meaning
“The pronoun is ambiguous; rewrite for clarity.”
concise
giving information clearly in few words
“Prefer a concise sentence over a wordy one.”
distinguish
to recognize or show the difference between things
“Distinguish correlation from causation.”
essential
completely necessary; extremely important
“Include only the essential details.”
imprecise
not exact or accurate
“Imprecise wording weakens the claim.”
indicate
to show or suggest that something is true
“The data indicate a modest improvement.”
omit
to leave out or not include
“Do not omit the opposing evidence.”
precise
exact and accurate in detail
“Choose the most precise verb for the action.”
specify
to state something clearly and exactly
“Specify which years the chart covers.”
vague
not clear or definite
“Replace vague claims with measurable ones.”