ITEMIZE means to list individual items rather than provide a single, combined total. It is a straightforward word used to describe many practical situations. For example, an ITEMIZED list at a restaurant shows the exact price of each dish rather than just the full total.
ITEMIZE made its first digital SAT appearance as an answer on a June 2026 vocabulary in context question. Surprisingly, ITEMIZE did not appear in Module 1. Instead, it showed up as a challenging Module 2 question. Even more surprising, the questions baffled many Reddit posters and several of my students.
How could an easy word like ITEMIZE perplex so many students? The answer lies in the cleverly conceived and deceptive question. The passage begins by informing test-takers that an electrician is trying to determine why the circuit breaker in an apartment suddenly shut off. The electrician then asks tenants “to ______ the devices that were in use” when the power failed. Many students quickly concluded that ACTIVATE would be the obvious and logical answer. Afterall, we ACTIVATE or turn on our cell phones and computers every day.
But wait – there’s more! The passage further explains that the electrician actually wants “information” about “the devices that were in use” when the power suddenly failed. This additional information points to ITEMIZE as the most precise answer. In short, the electrician doesn’t want the tenants to turn on their devices; he/she wants them to ITEMIZE or make a list of the devices that were in use when the electricity failed.
ITEMIZE – to make an item by item list