This list includes 69 SAT words that start with G, from “gaffe” to “gyrate”. Many entries are useful across reading passages, essay writing, and verbal practice, and they range from everyday to challenging.
SAT words that start with G are commonly tested vocabulary useful for reading, writing, and speaking. Many derive from Latin or French roots; for example, “gaffe” entered English from French meaning a social blunder.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, Difficulty, Definition, and Example.
Word: The vocabulary term itself, shown so you can learn its spelling and recognize it in passages.
Difficulty: A concise tag (easy, medium, hard) that helps you prioritize study and track progress.
Definition: A one-line dictionary-style meaning to help you understand the core sense and usage quickly.
Example: A clear sentence showing typical usage so you can see context and remember meaning.
SAT words that start with G
| Word | Difficulty | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| gaffe | medium | an embarrassing social mistake | He made a gaffe during the interview. |
| gainsay | hard | to deny or contradict | No evidence could gainsay her claim. |
| gall | medium | bitterness of spirit; impudence | His gall surprised everyone at the meeting. |
| gallant | medium | brave, spirited, or chivalrous | The gallant soldier helped the civilians. |
| gambit | medium | a strategic opening move or tactic | She opened with a bold gambit in debate. |
| gamut | medium | the complete range or scope | The festival covered the gamut of cuisine. |
| garble | medium | to distort unintentionally or deliberately | The translation garbled the original meaning. |
| garish | medium | excessively bright or showy in bad taste | The décor was garish and distracting. |
| garnish | medium | to adorn or legally seize wages | They garnished wages to satisfy the debt. |
| garrulous | hard | excessively talkative, often trivial chatter | The garrulous hostess told long stories. |
| gaudy | easy | brightly or tastelessly showy | Her gaudy outfit drew many stares. |
| gauche | hard | lacking social grace or sensitivity | His gauche remarks made everyone uncomfortable. |
| genteel | medium | refined in manner or appearance | She maintained a genteel composure under stress. |
| genial | easy | friendly and pleasantly cheerful | The genial host greeted every guest warmly. |
| germane | hard | relevant to the matter at hand | Keep your comments germane to the topic. |
| germinate | medium | to begin to grow or develop | The idea germinated over several months. |
| gesticulate | medium | to make expressive gestures while speaking | He gesticulated to emphasize his point. |
| ghastly | medium | shockingly frightful or dreadful | The accident scene looked ghastly. |
| gibe | medium | a taunting or sarcastic remark | Her gibe embarrassed him in front of colleagues. |
| gibberish | easy | unintelligible or meaningless speech or writing | The note read like pure gibberish. |
| glacial | medium | extremely slow or icy in tone | Negotiations proceeded at a glacial pace. |
| glaring | medium | conspicuously obvious; harshly bright | A glaring error spoiled the report. |
| glimmer | easy | a faint or wavering light or sign | There was a glimmer of hope remaining. |
| glib | hard | superficially fluent and insincere | His glib answer avoided the difficult questions. |
| glower | medium | to stare angrily or sullenly | She glowered at the noisy students. |
| glut | medium | an excessive supply or oversupply | A glut of apartments dropped rents. |
| gnarled | medium | knotted and twisted, often with age | The gnarled branches scraped the window. |
| goad | medium | to provoke or urge into action | They tried to goad him into responding. |
| gobble | easy | to eat quickly or consume greedily | He gobbled lunch between meetings. |
| gorge | medium | to eat greedily; a narrow steep-sided valley | Tourists admired the deep mountain gorge. |
| gospel | medium | a principle regarded as unquestionably true | They treated the rule as gospel. |
| gossamer | hard | very light, thin, and delicate | A gossamer web shimmered in sunlight. |
| graft | hard | illegal political or financial corruption | Investigators uncovered graft within the agency. |
| grandiose | hard | impressively large but impractically grand | His grandiose scheme collapsed quickly. |
| grandiloquent | hard | pompous or extravagant in language | The speech sounded grandiloquent and insincere. |
| gratify | easy | to give pleasure or satisfy a desire | Praise gratified the young artist. |
| gratuitous | hard | unnecessary or unwarranted; given freely | The film contained gratuitous violence. |
| gravity | medium | seriousness or importance of a situation | She understood the gravity of the decision. |
| gregarious | medium | sociable; enjoying company of others | He was gregarious and liked parties. |
| grievance | medium | a formal complaint about unfair treatment | Workers filed grievances with management. |
| grievous | hard | causing severe suffering or sorrow | They suffered a grievous loss in the storm. |
| grimace | medium | a contorted facial expression showing pain | He made a grimace when tasting the medicine. |
| grim | medium | stern, harsh, or bleak in appearance or mood | The forecast painted a grim outlook. |
| grotesque | hard | distorted and bizarrely incongruous or ugly | The sculpture was fantastically grotesque. |
| grovel | medium | to act submissively to gain favor | He groveled before his superiors. |
| guile | hard | sly or cunning intelligence used for deceit | She used guile to win the contract. |
| guise | medium | an external appearance concealing the true nature | He arrived under the guise of friendship. |
| gullible | medium | easily deceived or tricked | Tourists are often gullible to scams. |
| gusto | easy | vigorous enjoyment or zest | She performed the song with great gusto. |
| gyrate | hard | to turn or spin rapidly around an axis | The crowd gyrated to the music. |
| gaunt | medium | very thin, especially from illness or hunger | After weeks, he looked gaunt and exhausted. |
| glean | medium | to gather information bit by bit | Researchers gleaned details from old letters. |
| gluttony | hard | overindulgence in food or other pleasures | Older texts warn against gluttony as vice. |
| gambol | medium | to frolic or romp playfully | Children gambolled in the summer meadow. |
| gerrymander | hard | to manipulate electoral boundaries unfairly | Officials gerrymandered districts for political gain. |
| genuflect | hard | to lower briefly by bending one knee | He genuflected before entering the chapel. |
| guffaw | medium | a loud, boisterous laugh | The audience erupted in a loud guffaw. |
| gradient | medium | a rate of incline or gradual change | The color showed a gentle gradient to blue. |
| generic | easy | characteristic of an entire class; not specific | His remarks were disappointingly generic. |
| gallantry | medium | courageous or chivalrous behavior, often polite | His gallantry impressed the assembled guests. |
| gauge | medium | to measure or estimate something accurately | They gauged interest before launching the product. |
| gestation | medium | the period of development or formation | The project was in gestation for months. |
| gloss | medium | to explain superficially or cover up faults | She glossed over the study’s limitations. |
| glorious | easy | marked by great beauty or splendor | They celebrated a glorious victory. |
| grandstand | medium | to perform ostentatiously to impress observers | The senator grandstanded during the debate. |
| gradation | medium | a gradual change or stage in a series | The artist used subtle gradations of color. |
| grueling | hard | extremely tiring and demanding | They endured a grueling schedule of drills. |
| gargantuan | hard | extremely large; immense in scale | They faced a gargantuan task ahead. |
| glisten | easy | to shine with a soft, reflected light | Dewdrops glistened on the grass. |
Descriptions
gaffe
Commonly tested in passages about tone and social interaction.
gainsay
Formal verb; useful for evaluating arguments and counterclaims.
gall
Often used to describe audacity or resentment in tone questions.
gallant
Describes behavior or tone; appears in literature and history passages.
gambit
Useful for strategy and rhetorical-analysis contexts.
gamut
Handy for summarizing variety in informational passages.
garble
Appears in passages about communication and misunderstanding.
garish
Tone and descriptive passages often use this adjective.
garnish
Has culinary and legal senses; context clarifies meaning.
garrulous
High-value descriptive word for character and tone.
gaudy
Common adjective in descriptive contexts.
gauche
Advanced tone word useful in character analysis.
genteel
Often contrasts manners or class in passages.
genial
Common descriptor of tone and personality.
germane
Important for questions about relevance and cohesion.
germinate
Common metaphor in academic and expository writing.
gesticulate
Useful for describing speech and nonverbal communication.
ghastly
Tone word indicating horror or severity.
gibe
Short word often used in argumentative or narrative contexts.
gibberish
Useful to describe incoherence in texts or speech.
glacial
Metaphorical use common in analytical passages.
glaring
Often used in critique or editorial contexts.
glimmer
Frequently used figuratively in reading passages.
glib
High-value for tone and author attitude questions.
glower
Useful verb for character mood and reaction.
glut
Important in economics-related passages.
gnarled
Descriptive word for imagery in narrative texts.
goad
Useful for motive and persuasion questions.
gobble
Informal but appears in narrative and descriptive passages.
gorge
Dual senses; SAT contexts require context-based interpretation.
gospel
Figurative usage in argumentative and cultural passages.
gossamer
Poetic adjective often tested for imagery and tone.
graft
Appears in political and civic reading passages.
grandiose
Useful for tone and author attitude analysis.
grandiloquent
High-level vocabulary for rhetoric and style questions.
gratify
Common verb in both literal and figurative contexts.
gratuitous
Frequently appears in critical reading and opinion pieces.
gravity
Key for tone and meaning in passages.
gregarious
Personality trait often used in character descriptions.
grievance
Occurs in labor, legal, and civic passages.
grievous
Formal adjective for serious harm or wrongdoing.
grimace
Useful verb/noun in narrative tone.
grim
Describes mood and atmosphere.
grotesque
Appears in literary descriptions and tone analysis.
grovel
Useful for motive and social-dynamics questions.
guile
High-value word for reading about strategy and deceit.
guise
Common in inference and tone questions.
gullible
Appears in passages discussing persuasion or deception.
gusto
Short, useful word for tone and manner.
gyrate
Less common but useful in descriptive contexts.
gaunt
Descriptive for appearance and tone.
glean
Important verb for inference and evidence questions.
gluttony
Often appears in literature and moral discussions.
gambol
Poetic verb used in narrative and descriptive writing.
gerrymander
Common in civics and current-events passages.
genuflect
Less common but appears in historical or religious contexts.
guffaw
Useful for tone and reaction description.
gradient
Used in science and descriptive passages.
generic
Useful for critique and classification tasks.
gallantry
Appears in historical and literary contexts.
gauge
Common verb in analytical and research passages.
gestation
Metaphorical use common in analytic writing.
gloss
Important for rhetorical and critical-reading questions.
glorious
Common adjective for tone and mood.
grandstand
Useful for motive and author-intent analysis.
gradation
Appears in art, science, and description contexts.
grueling
Common in narratives about hardship or challenge.
gargantuan
High-impact adjective often found in descriptive passages.
glisten
Simple descriptive verb useful in imagery and mood.