GRE vocabulary

GRE vocabulary, in the order that matters.

Fourteen prep lists rarely agree. We ranked every word by how many of them include it, so you learn the words most worth your time first.

words: 3,000+
sets of 30: 100+
prep lists cross-referenced: 14

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A ladder, not a pile.

The list runs from the words nearly every prep list includes to the ones only a single list mentions. You climb it in sets of 30, so there is always a clear next step and the list has an end.

1
Must-Know
The words five or more prep lists agree on. If your exam is close, this tier is the one to finish.
Sets 1–24
2
High-Frequency
Words that three or four lists include. Common enough in prep material to be worth knowing well.
Sets 25–45
3
Extended
Words that two lists share. This is where a strong score starts to separate from a good one.
Sets 46–66
4
Long Tail
Words a single list includes, ordered by how selective that list is. For long runways and high targets.
Set 67 onward

The ten words at the top of the GRE list

These are the 10 words the most prep lists agree on, each with the memory hook it carries in the app.

1
austereaw-STEER
severe or stern in manner; plain and without ornament
"OH, STAIR"The monk's room had one bed and one STAIR. "Where is the TV?" "OH, STAIR." The room was AUSTERE, plain and bare with nothing extra.
on 13 of 14 lists
2
disparateDIS-puh-rit
fundamentally different or distinct in kind
"THIS PAIR? IT doesn't match!""THIS PAIR? IT doesn't match!" One boot, one flip-flop. They are DISPARATE, completely different in kind.
on 13 of 14 lists
3
irascibleih-RAS-uh-buhl
easily angered; irritable
I RUSH A BULL and it chargesIf I RUSH A BULL it charges in a second. My uncle is just as IRASCIBLE, exploding with anger at one wrong word.
on 13 of 14 lists
4
alacrityuh-LAK-rih-tee
cheerful and eager willingness; brisk readiness
"I'LL ACT, READY!""Who will help move the sofa?" "I'LL ACT, READY!" She jumped up first, smiling. She answered with ALACRITY, eager and cheerful willingness.
on 13 of 14 lists
5
gregariousgrih-GAIR-ee-uhs
sociable; fond of the company of others
GREG, GARY and USGREG, GARY and US: he cannot eat lunch alone, he drags everyone along. He is GREGARIOUS, happiest in a crowd.
on 13 of 14 lists
6
inchoatein-KOH-it
just begun; not yet fully formed or developed
an INCH OF OAT, just sproutedThe farmer points at an INCH OF OAT poking out of the soil. "That is my crop." It is INCHOATE, just begun and nowhere near grown.
on 13 of 14 lists
7
ameliorateuh-MEEL-yuh-rayt
make better; improve something bad
"A MEAL? YEAH, GREAT!"Cold, wet, miserable hikers. "A MEAL? YEAH, GREAT!" The hot soup AMELIORATED the awful night, making a bad situation better.
on 12 of 14 lists
8
exacerbateig-ZAS-ur-bayt
make worse; aggravate
EXTRA CARBONATE bursts the bottleThe EXTRA CARBONATE did not fix the flat soda, it burst the bottle. It EXACERBATED the problem, making a bad situation worse.
on 12 of 14 lists
9
aesthetices-THET-ik
concerning beauty or the appreciation of beauty
"YES, THAT'S IT!" said the artistShe moved the vase one inch left. "YES, THAT'S IT!" Her reason was AESTHETIC, all about beauty and nothing about use.
on 12 of 14 lists
10
eclecticih-KLEK-tik
drawing on a broad and diverse range of sources
"I COLLECT IT all"Stamps, rocks, jazz records, Korean comics. "I COLLECT IT all," he says. His taste is ECLECTIC, drawn from every kind of source.
on 12 of 14 lists

The prep lists behind the ranking

A word's rank is the number of these lists that include it. SnapVocabis not affiliated with any of them; they are the public lists learners already trust, used here only to decide what to teach first.

Barron's 1100 Words
Barron's 333 High-Frequency
Barron's 800 Essential
Greenlight Advanced
Greenlight Basic
GregMat
Kaplan 500
Magoosh 1000
Manhattan Prep 1000
PowerScore Repeat Offenders
PrepScholar 357
PrepScholar Repeat Offenders
Princeton Review
Vocab Capacity 1300

GRE questions

How many words do I need to know for the GRE?

There is no official number, and ETS publishes no word list. What the prep lists agree on is a useful guide: the first tier here is the set of words that five or more well-known lists all include. Learn those properly before spending time on the long tail.

How is the list ranked?

Every word is ranked by how many published GRE prep lists include it, then by how selective those lists are. A word on thirteen lists comes before a word on two. The ranking decides the order you study in; it does not predict what will appear on your test.

Is SnapVocab affiliated with ETS or the prep companies?

No. SnapVocab is an independent study app. GRE is a registered trademark of ETS, which does not endorse this product. The prep lists we cross-reference are public lists from other publishers, used only to decide which words to teach first.

How does the GRE actually test vocabulary?

Text completion and sentence equivalence questions reward knowing a word precisely: its connotation, the words it gets confused with, and how it behaves in a sentence. That is why each word here comes with example sentences, confusables and a mnemonic, not just a one-line definition.

Start with the words every list agrees on.