GRE vocabulary: which words matter and how to learn them
Updated 4 November 2026 · By the Dean Prep team
The GRE does not give a word list, but vocabulary decides a large share of Verbal Reasoning. Here is how words are tested, how many are worth learning, and a way to learn them that lasts until test day.
How the GRE tests words
There is no separate vocabulary section and no question asks for a definition. Words are tested in sentences: Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence give you a sentence and ask which word fits its meaning and tone, and Reading Comprehension passages use the same kind of academic language. So the goal is not to recite definitions but to recognise a word's precise meaning, its usual company and its tone (approving or critical) when you meet it in a sentence.
How many words do you need?
Most serious preparation covers somewhere between 500 and 1,500 words. The words that matter are not the rarest ones in the dictionary but the ones that keep appearing in academic writing: words for judging ideas (specious, cogent), for attitudes (supercilious, deferential), and for change and contrast (protean, mitigate). Dean's GRE teaches 849 words, each with its own definition, example sentence, pronunciation, root, synonyms and antonyms.
A sample GRE word list
These are the first words in Dean's GRE, with our own definitions. They are part of the free version.
| Word | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| temerity | noun | foolhardy nerve; boldness that ignores danger or the normal limits of respect |
| depredate | verb | to plunder or lay waste to a place, usually by force and on a large scale |
| genuflect | verb | to bend one knee to the ground as a sign of worship or deep respect |
| wend | verb | to travel slowly or by a winding, roundabout route, as in going one's way |
| pelagic | adjective | living in or relating to the open ocean, far from coasts and the sea floor |
| froward | adjective | stubbornly disobedient and contrary; hard to manage or control |
| punctilious | adjective | very careful about fine details of correct behavior, etiquette or procedure |
| aphorism | noun | a short, memorable saying that expresses a general truth or principle |
| purloin | verb | to steal something quietly or sneakily, often an item of modest value |
| esoteric | adjective | understood by or meant for only a small circle of people with special knowledge |
| succor | noun | help and comfort given to someone in hardship or distress |
| protean | adjective | able to change form or nature easily; taking many different shapes or roles |
| callous | adjective | unfeeling and insensitive to the pain or troubles of others; hardhearted |
| proscribe | verb | to forbid or ban something, especially by law or official rule |
| denouement | noun | the final part of a story, where the plot's tangles are resolved and explained |
| supercilious | adjective | showing haughty contempt, as if others are beneath one's notice |
| parley | noun | a meeting for talks between opposing sides, especially to arrange a truce |
| apoplectic | adjective | so furious that one seems about to burst; overcome with rage |
| simper | verb | to smile in a silly, coy or affected way, often to win favor |
A method that makes words stick
- A fixed number each day. 15 to 25 new words a day, six days a week, is steady enough to finish a large list in two months without cramming.
- Meaning, example and sound together. Read the definition, read an example sentence, and say the word aloud. A word you can pronounce is easier to recall.
- Use it the same day. Meet each new word in a Text Completion or Sentence Equivalence question straight away; recognising it in a sentence is the skill the test checks.
- Spaced review. See each word again just before you would forget it: after a day, then a few days, then a week or more. Spaced repetition schedules this for you.
- Learn the roots. Latin and Greek roots (bene-, mal-, -cred-, -loqu-) let you make a good guess at words you have never seen.
Studying for the GRE outside the US
The GRE is taken by graduate applicants all over the world, for programs in the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and it is offered at test centers and, in most countries, at home. Check the official site for the dates, fees and centers in your country.
Dean Prep works the same everywhere: one price in US dollars in every country, paid by card or PayPal, in English, in any modern browser and on Windows, iPhone and Android. Students in the US, Canada, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, the UK, Germany, France, the Philippines and elsewhere use exactly the same product.
Questions
Does the GRE have a vocabulary section?
No. Vocabulary is tested in context, in Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence and the language of Reading Comprehension passages.
How many GRE words should I learn?
Most students learn between 500 and 1,500. Learning them in context, with spaced review, matters more than the exact number.
How long does it take to learn GRE vocabulary?
At 20 words a day, six days a week, about 850 words take seven weeks, with reviews continuing until the test.
Learn GRE words with Dean's GRE
849 words as 2,547 flashcards with spaced repetition, each word used at once in questions and reading. Start free in your browser.
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