# Can you spell "ursprache?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138 "2006-06-02T13:05:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/1 "2006-06-02T13:05:43Z")
Ddi anybody watch the Spelling Bee last night? I could not believe some of those words. Those kids were awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/2 "2006-06-02T13:08:08Z")
Is “Ursprache” an English word? It looks German to me (which is why I capitalised it), and I’ve never heard it used in English. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/3 "2006-06-02T13:11:29Z")
Yes! All the words were English words. It is obviously from Gerrman, though. [Link.](http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/3922267.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/4 "2006-06-02T13:12:37Z")
Ach! _German_. It was a typo, I swear! Damn Gaudere’s Law… ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/5 "2006-06-02T13:21:47Z")
We watched the final rounds at my house and tested ourselves. I’m a pretty good speller and only got two or three right. Why was the one girl put out and then reinstated? ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/6 "2006-06-02T13:33:53Z")
The judges’ list of words had a typo, and she spelled it correctly! They fouind the error fairly quickly, and reinstated her on their own. (No protest needed to be filed.) ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/7 "2006-06-02T13:34:03Z")
The judges’ list of words had a typo, and she spelled it correctly! They found the error fairly quickly, and reinstated her on their own. (No protest needed to be filed.) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/8 "2006-06-02T13:43:35Z")
I got ursprache right before they showed it. I get most of them, though. I used to be one of those spelling geeks (never made it past state, though). A lot of it is just knowing language of origin. Once you know that, you just follow the rules of spelling for that language and Bob’s your uncle. The definition for ursprache helped too. It was actually a pretty easy word if you know what “sprache” means and you know what “ur” means. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/9 "2006-06-02T13:45:43Z")
I found it highly amusing that the Canadian girl received several french words. Not like they speak much french in Alberta though 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/10 "2006-06-02T14:57:37Z")
Oddly, I got all the German words – ursprache, weltschmertz, heilegeschein, wehrmacht – even though I speak not a word of German. Missed all the rest, except lophophytosis and towhee. I’m sure I just misspelled most of the words above. It doesn’t seem quite fair that such a high proportion of the words were directly from foreign languages – Hawaiian, French, German, Persian, even Assyro-Babylonian, for chrissake. I guess that’s what makes them hard. “Izzat”!! Excellent word. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/11 "2006-06-02T15:19:36Z")
As a former spelling geek myself, I was pleased that ABC chose to show the spelling bee finals at all, let alone during prime time – actually, more shocked than pleased. Spelling geeks rool! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/12 "2006-06-02T15:28:56Z")
Very cool the [Winner goes to an NJ public school](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2032230). She will be attending the High Tech High School done the Road from me next fall. This is a really great magnate school at Brookdale Community College. Congradulations 😉 Miss Katharine Close. Jim ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/13 "2006-06-02T15:36:54Z")
I felt really bad for the second-place girl. She has to be kicking herself HARD that she didn’t think German–\>sounds like v–\> W weltschmerz > [@jsc1953](#): > > Oddly, I got all the German words – ursprache, **weltschmertz, heilegeschein,** wehrmacht – even though I speak not a word of German. Oh?? 😉 I was just proud to recognize koine and paillon. And I have to snicker at the idea of a typo on a spelling bee list. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/14 "2006-06-02T15:40:41Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Oh?? 😉 I got lucky in real time; my luck failed me this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/15 "2006-06-02T15:49:18Z")
I consider myself a pretty good speller, and I was pleased to guess at about 75% of the words. I only actually knew one or two – I knew towhee – but most of the rest were deducible. What amazed me was the level of understanding of word origins most of the kids displayed. I also recognized one of the kids who they showed as going out in an earlier round as the boy who won the National Geography Bee the other night. What a bunch of great kids! ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/16 "2006-06-02T16:17:33Z")
> [@Dolores Reborn](#): > > Ddi anybody watch the Spelling Bee last night? I could not believe some of those words. Those kids were awesome. Awesome indeed! I expected it would be a bit boring, but watched spellbound (sorry) through the entire thing. I wonder how the guy who reads the words knows the proper pronounciation? I’m sure it’s on the monitor for him, yet… He could not possibly be able to practice the hundreds of words used through the entire contest. He a genius, or is there some trick to it? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/17 "2006-06-02T16:32:05Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > He could not possibly be able to practice the hundreds of words used through the entire contest. He a genius, or is there some trick to it? Our Friend Mr. Dictionary shows the pronunciation, definition and etymology of each word – I’m sure he was reading from a dictionary (or an extract from one). ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/18 "2006-06-02T17:20:54Z")
A co-worker’s [daughter was eliminated in round 8](http://www.spellingbee.com/06bee/individuals/096results.htm). I’m sure I wouldn’t have gotten that far. Those Hawaiian words are the ones which get me. I know Hawaiian words have no two consonants together, but the vowels, oy the vowels! I do better with Hebrew and Sanskrit than Hawaiian. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/19 "2006-06-02T17:43:55Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Our Friend Mr. Dictionary shows the pronunciation, definition and etymology of each word – I’m sure he was reading from a dictionary (or an extract from one). Gee, I kinda’ knew that. Nevertheless, even if a dictionary were available on his monitor, in the few seconds between the time the word is chosen and the contestant gets to the mike, he would have to read the pronunciation, get those weird words around his tongue, and be able to do it perfectly every time. That’s quite a trick. I think there may be more to it. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138/20 "2006-06-02T17:54:28Z")
What are the criteria for a word to be on the spelling list? None of the words I saw in the finals are in general use in America. How specialized can the word be and still be put on the list? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-spell-ursprache/359138.md?page=2)