TEAS vocabulary list: what ATI actually tests and how to prepare
Written and reviewed by Brittany Scott, BSN, RN, CCM · 3 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
There is no official TEAS vocabulary list. ATI's TEAS 7 outline tests vocabulary as a skill: 10 scored English items cover vocabulary acquisition, including finding a word's meaning from its parts, and a Reading objective asks you to interpret words from context. Study common roots, prefixes and suffixes plus context clue types instead of memorizing a list.
Is there vocabulary on TEAS 7?
Yes. ATI's TEAS 7 content outline lists 33 scored English and Language Usage questions, split into Conventions of Standard English (12), Knowledge of Language (11) and Vocabulary Acquisition (10). The objective under that heading reads: determine the meaning of words by analyzing word parts. ATI's current exam details page titles this group Using Language and Vocabulary to Express Ideas in Writing, with the same 10 items.
Vocabulary also shows up in Reading. The Craft and Structure category, 9 scored items, includes the objective interpret the meaning of words and phrases using context. So word meaning is spread across two sections, and both reward the same reasoning rather than a memorized list.
Why a memorized word list is the wrong plan
Lists you find online are guesses, since ATI does not publish one. This is a common mix-up with the HESI A2, a different exam with its own separate Vocabulary section. If a classmate hands you a HESI list, it is not a TEAS list.
Because the TEAS asks you to work out meaning, an unfamiliar word is not a lost point. A student who knows that cardi- refers to the heart and -megaly to enlargement can decode cardiomegaly without ever having seen it. That skill covers far more words than any list of 200.
Word parts worth knowing cold
Prefixes that change meaning: hyper- (over, above), hypo- (under), brady- (slow), tachy- (fast), dys- (difficult or abnormal), anti- (against), intra- (within), inter- (between), post- (after) and pre- (before). Mixing up intra- and inter- is a classic wrong-answer trap.
Roots and suffixes: derm (skin), gastr (stomach), hepat (liver), neur (nerve), oste (bone) and pulmon (lung); then -itis (inflammation), -ectomy (removal), -ology (study of), -algia (pain) and -emia (blood condition). Build cards with the part on one side and two example words on the other, and test yourself by building new words.
Context clues: five types and a worked example
Look for a definition set off by commas, a synonym or restatement, a contrast signaled by but, although or unlike, an example after such as, and the general sense of the sentence. Cover the target word, predict a plain word that fits, then pick the answer closest to your prediction.
Example: Although the first wound was superficial, the second cut was deep and needed stitches. The contrast word although tells you superficial is the opposite of deep, so the best answer is shallow or on the surface. Check by swapping your choice into the sentence; it should read naturally.
Sources
ATI TEAS, Version 7 Content Outline (ATI, copyright 2022). 33 scored English items with Vocabulary Acquisition 10 (7%); objective E.3.2 word parts; Reading Craft and Structure 9 items with R.2.2 meaning from context
ATI: TEAS Exam Details. English and Language Usage section with 37 questions (33 scored, 4 unscored) in 37 minutes; the third subcontent area is titled Using Language and Vocabulary to Express Ideas in Writing (10 items)
Common questions
What vocab words are on the TEAS?
ATI does not publish a word list. Its TEAS 7 outline tests vocabulary through word parts and context, so learn common roots, prefixes and suffixes and practice reading unfamiliar words in sentences.
How many vocabulary questions are on TEAS 7?
ATI's TEAS 7 content outline lists 10 scored Vocabulary Acquisition items in English and Language Usage, about 7 percent of scored questions. Reading adds context-based word meaning items under Craft and Structure.
How do you use context clues on the TEAS?
Cover the word, find the signal (a definition, a synonym, a contrast word like although, or an example), predict a simple meaning, then choose the option that matches and reread the sentence with it.