ACT Vocabulary – What Do You Really Need To Know?

If, for you, being tested on vocabulary means answering the exact definition of a word, then you may not necessarily be familiar with how the ACT chooses to test vocabulary. The ACT knows it’s fairly straightforward to memorize words and their meanings, so they decide to take it a step further by testing whether or not you understand how the word is being used and in what specific context.

I am a professional in the ACT preparation field and a question we tend to hear from students beginning their test prep journey is how, exactly, the ACT tests vocabulary and what students can do in terms of preparation to succeed in this area. I am going to explain how the ACT tests your understanding of words based on context and how you can prepare yourself to do well!

What The ACT Vocabulary Tests You On

Context

What does being tested on context mean for vocabulary? Being able to understand the context of a word involves analyzing the words around the underlined word and coming to a conclusion of how the word’s being used. You need to look at the word being questioned and how it relates to the surrounding text.

Let’s look at a couple examples where you must use context clues to understand the meaning of a word, should you not know their specific meaning beforehand:

1. I get extremely squeamish when I’m in a hospital. I count the minutes until I can go home.

You’ll find that the word squeamish actually has two meanings. And you’d need to look at the context to know which meaning is being used. Have a look at the Merriam Webster’s definition:

Squeamish:

1. a. easily nauseated

1. b. affected with nausea

2.a. excessively fastidious or scrupulous in conduct or belief

2.b. easily offended or disgusted

You’ll quickly notice that the word squeamish in this context doesn’t refer to nausea caused by a hospital but rather an excessive feeling towards being in hospitals, fitting more under 2 A’s definition of squeamish.

Let’s try out another new word that has only one basic meaning:

2. Sarah is very morose and quiet today. She says when the weather is cloudy, she gets gloomy.

Let’s have a look at the Merriam Webster’s definition:

Morose:

1. having a sullen and gloomy disposition
2. marked by or expressive of gloom

Based on context clues in the two sentences, we can assume that the definition of morose reflects a similar meaning to gloomy, which is how she feels when the weather is cloudy.

Moderately Difficult Vocabulary

It’s likely you already know what most of the top words tested on the ACT already mean. Take a look some of the top ACT vocab words and you’ll be relieved that you already know what most of them mean. The verbs anticipate, determine, and engage rank in the top 20 for ACT vocabulary and you can likely put any of these words in a sentence without even studying! So if the ACT vocabulary is not that difficult, what makes the questions hard? The ACT will check that you understand which specific meaning is being used for the word.

Idioms

Although idioms are not necessarily vocabulary words, the ACT will still test whether or not you understand the meaning of a popular idiom. Idioms can be difficult for ESL students because they don’t necessarily fall under any specific grammar rule, but rather are learned through exposure speaking with natives. There are many resources out there to review idioms, but if learning all these idioms has you you stressed, just keep in mind that very few questions will be idiom-specific, so it may not be worth worth a great deal of your time to perfect this skill if you can immediately improve in other areas instead.

How To Practice

The best method of practice for the ACT vocabulary is to begin taking ACT Reading and Science practice tests and build up your skills in looking for contextual clues in the passages. As mentioned, once you know the meaning of the vocabulary words, the biggest advantage you have on test day is to be able to know how the word is being used in the sentence!

Kristine Thorndyke works for Quesbook, your go-to for free ACT practice and study resources. Not good enough for you? Well, we also offer ACT scholarships that you’re eligible for simply by studying and taking the ACT.