# Adult Spelling Bees **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418 "2013-03-20T02:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/1 "2013-03-20T02:53:49Z")
So it seems that I have agreed to be in an adult spelling bee. It’s for a good cause (a literacy non-profit) but oh dear og, I’m nervous. I have not been in a spelling bee since…i dunno…the third grade? I’m part of a team so I gather I won’t be standing up there reciting letters but…I’m regretting saying “yes” - even though I do think I am a pretty good speller. Does anyone have experience with such an event? ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/2 "2013-03-23T05:13:34Z")
Really? No one? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/3 "2013-03-23T05:32:59Z")
No…but I’d sure love to! I was a spelling ace in school, and am still pretty good today… (A variation on Gaudere’s Law suggests that I will make a spelling error somewhere in this thread…) Why are you feeling regrets? It sounds like good clean fun, and, honestly, what’s the worst that could happen? Grab a dictionary and browse it, in an informal sort of way – don’t cram hard, but just sort of flirt with a few tough words – and then go for it. Sesquipedalian! And good luck! ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/4 "2013-03-23T05:40:37Z")
Thanks **Trinopus**! I was starting to feel like a terrible nerd. I am feeling a bit regretful because…ugh…standing a stage …ugh. Advance stage fright, I guess. BUT. Yesterday I confirmed the format. We get to write down the word (as a team) and show our (written) word to the crowd. 🙂 I am much more confident when dealing with the written word. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/5 "2013-03-23T05:41:34Z")
Ooh! I’ll help you practice - how do you spell… …oh, right. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/6 "2013-03-23T05:58:55Z")
> [@Ms.Pumpkin](#): > > Ooh! I’ll help you practice - how do you spell… > > …oh, right. Yeah, upon reflection, perhaps I should have posted this in MPSIMS, but I was hoping someone(s) on the board would be able to reassure me that they too had been through it and it was not such a terrible experience. I’m trying very hard not to dread it. I’m a bit of an introvert so I just keep telling myself “it’s for a good cause, it’s for a good cause. It won’t be so bad, and it’s for a good cause.” My school sponsors a team, win, lose or place, so me merely showing up will help the literacy council. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/7 "2013-03-23T06:07:39Z")
Oh, sorry for the unhelpful post. I think I’m funnier than I am. :o FWIW, I think it sounds cool, and bonus for it being for a good cause. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/8 "2013-03-23T06:16:01Z")
No, my initial reaction was HA! Then, my natural insecurity kicked in and went, oh, of course no one can really “help” here. Like Ms. Pumpkin said, how do you spell… oh. So I overthought it. My apologies. I always think I am funny, but not everyone agrees. Keep helping! Can you use … in a sentence? ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/9 "2013-03-23T06:30:16Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > Can you use … in a sentence? 😛 I actually kicked butt in spelling. I was supposed to go to some regional spelling bee in 8th grade, but somehow the runner-up got to go, instead. I honestly think it was a popularity thing. Oh, well. I’ve never heard of a team spelling bee. What if you can’t agree with your teammates on a word? ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/10 "2013-03-23T06:34:16Z")
> [@Ms.Pumpkin](#): > > 😛 > > I actually kicked butt in spelling. I was supposed to go to some regional spelling bee in 8th grade, but somehow the runner-up got to go, instead. I honestly think it was a popularity thing. Oh, well. > > I’ve never heard of a team spelling bee. What if you can’t agree with your teammates on a word? I’m guessing the most confident wins? I dont really know. I was terrified that I would have to stand up there and recite letters. But now that I know I can bully my team members into accepting my my preferred spelling - well, I dont know if we will win, but I am fairly sure if we lose, it will be my fault! Oh. That’s not actually better, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/11 "2013-03-23T07:29:51Z")
Gah, bringing back memories of losing my 3rd grade spelling bee. It’s “czar,” not “zar.” :mad: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/12 "2013-03-23T09:41:39Z")
Will this be harder or less hard? I know that the spelling bees I was in in junior high, the hardest part was the pressure, not the words. And, yes, I choked on said pressure: even though I “won” in class, I got out on the first word. I don’t remember what it was, but I know it had two Ls, not just one. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/13 "2013-03-23T15:02:56Z")
I’d go to a site like [100 Most Often [del]Mispelled[/del] Misspelled Words in English](http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/spelling-and-word-lists/misspelled.html) and make sure I could spell those words. But I wouldn’t bother preparing any more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/14 "2013-03-23T15:14:28Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > don’t cram hard, but just sort of flirt with a few tough words And this is why the Nice Words are forever alone. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/15 "2013-03-23T19:08:29Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > And this is why the Nice Words are forever alone. Dratted nice word syndrome. All the spellers want a bad word and think they can change it. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/16 "2013-03-23T22:12:51Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > I’m guessing the most confident wins? Well, it doesn’t hurt any to have a bit of confidence. The first time I ever had to address a group, I stood at the lectern, took off my glasses, and opened: “You’d be amazed how much easier it is to lie to people if you can’t see them.” My first speech, my first laugh, and I’ve never looked back. So…semi-seriously…take off your glasses, or maybe smudge them just a little. It will distract you. It will make you concentrate on your focus, both visually and thematically. A variant of this is to put a small bit of grit in your shoe, just enough that you feel it (not enough to make you limp!) Fear of public speaking seems to be near the top of most levels of individual fears. (Me, it’s spiders! The worst of all possible worlds would be to have to give a speech to an auditorium full of spiders, in a tiny little room, on top of a tall pinnacle, which is, itself, deep in a coal mine, in the dark!) Since that isn’t likely, look how far ahead of the game you are already! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/17 "2013-03-23T22:34:56Z")
There’s a bar in DC - Rock and Roll Hotel - that does drunken spelling bee as an event but I suspect that’s not quite the spelling venue you’re inquiring about. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/18 "2013-03-24T02:56:52Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > I’d go to a site like [100 Most Often [del]Mispelled[/del] Misspelled Words in English](http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/spelling-and-word-lists/misspelled.html) and make sure I could spell those words. But I wouldn’t bother preparing any more than that. I’m going to print this list for studying. Thanks! > [@Trinopus](#): > > Well, it doesn’t hurt any to have a bit of confidence. > > The first time I ever had to address a group, I stood at the lectern, took off my glasses, and opened: “You’d be amazed how much easier it is to lie to people if you can’t see them.” > > My first speech, my first laugh, and I’ve never looked back. > > So…semi-seriously…take off your glasses, or maybe smudge them just a little. It will distract you. It will make you concentrate on your focus, both visually and thematically. A variant of this is to put a small bit of grit in your shoe, just enough that you feel it (not enough to make you limp!) > > Fear of public speaking seems to be near the top of most levels of individual fears. (Me, it’s spiders! The worst of all possible worlds would be to have to give a speech to an auditorium full of spiders, in a tiny little room, on top of a tall pinnacle, which is, itself, deep in a coal mine, in the dark!) > > Since that isn’t likely, look how far ahead of the game you are already! 😉 Hmmm… I do believe if I take off my glasses, my brain may try to convince me I am in fact spelling words to a large group of spiders. That …may not help. > [@pancakes3](#): > > There’s a bar in DC - Rock and Roll Hotel - that does drunken spelling bee as an event but I suspect that’s not quite the spelling venue you’re inquiring about. No, but now that you mention it… Getting a bit drunk MAY help 😛 It would certainly help with nerves, but maybe not so much with the spelling bits. Ah well. Drunken spelling bees might be fun 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-spelling-bees/653418/19 "2013-03-24T12:46:01Z")
Atlanta has an annual [Orthographic](http://atlantaopenorthographicmeet.org/)meet. Unfortunately, they don’t pass out lists of the words after the fact. I’ve gone a couple of times - they’re really tough words. I hope yours are easier. 🙂