# How Well Can You Spell? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 29, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006 "2008-05-29T13:39:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/1 "2008-05-29T13:39:41Z")
With the Scripps National Spelling Bee underway in Washington, D.C., the local paper has posted a five-word challenge hosted by 2006 champ Kerry Close. You can click on buttons to hear definition, language of origin, tips from current contestants, and guesses ventured by passers-by in the USA’s capital city. [I got five out of five on the first try.](http://gns.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070509/SPELLINGBEE08/70508003) And somewhere in my childhood home is the pen I received from the now-defunct _Cleveland Press_ for winning my school’s bee as a fifth-grader. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Priori\_Tea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@A\_Priori\_Tea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Priori_Tea)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/2 "2008-05-29T14:08:24Z")
5/5 correct on my first try, although I had to get her to define the second one before it stopped sounding like an element. 🙂 And Cheatham County was too damned cheap to give out awards for spelling bee champs, even in the seventh grade. Bastards! ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/3 "2008-05-29T14:23:12Z")
5 by 5, B. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/4 "2008-05-29T15:13:39Z")
Those words are all pretty easy, but three of them are very “foreign” borrowings. If you know Spanish and French, it’s not really a challenge. I admire good spellers, but I think spelling bees are pointless, though they are slightly entertaining. Spelling a word is not nearly as important as using it in a meaningful and effective way (especially if it’s a word you’d otherwise never utter or write). That’s what editors are for. Proof-reading, on the other hand, is fairly mechanical. And then there are always dictionaries. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/5 "2008-05-29T15:17:55Z")
Dang, I was off by a letter on the 5th word. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/6 "2008-05-29T15:20:34Z")
5 out of 5, but surely the fourth word ought to have a diacritical mark in it (which I didn’t include). ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/7 "2008-05-29T15:32:29Z")
Got 'em all. Only because I was typing, though. I’m a visual speller and can tell if what I’ve written doesn’t look right. If you ask me to spell it aloud, spelling-bee style, I don’t stand a chance. You’ll see me air-writing the word in desperation. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/8 "2008-05-29T15:41:24Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] Got 'em all. Only because I was typing, though. I’m a visual speller and can tell if what I’ve written doesn’t look right. If you ask me to spell it aloud, spelling-bee style, I don’t stand a chance. You’ll see me air-writing the word in desperation. [/QUOTE] I participated in my school spelling bee once. I was given “journalism.” I know exactly how it’s written and could even picture the word in my head, but at that time in my life I had difficulty with confusing the sounds for J and G. As a result, although I _knew_ the word, the very first letter out of my mouth was G. I corrected my mistake instantly, but of course that’s not good enough. Sigh. I’m positive I could have won the contest were it not for that one slip. As for this one, I got 4 out of 5. I didn’t know the last word, but I figure I did pretty well considering I was one letter off. ---
**Author:** ![Purgatory\_Creek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Purgatory\_Creek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purgatory_Creek)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/9 "2008-05-29T18:21:49Z")
That was fun, but I’m surprised at how easy the words are. I’d have expected something more challenging. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/10 "2008-05-29T23:16:18Z")
1 out of 5… Where is the Mathlete challenge? Did I spell _Mathlete_ right? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/11 "2008-05-29T23:20:01Z")
Yeah, “jalapeno” is a correct spelling of the pepper the way “ano” is a correct spelling of the unit of time… (ETA: I guess there’s a spoiler in there, so I’ve hidden it from view, though, really, if you’re this far down in the thread, you’ve probably already attempted the thing or don’t care to) ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/12 "2008-05-29T23:22:40Z")
3/5 But I sort of guessed on the fifth one. I’m really not a great speller. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/13 "2008-05-29T23:39:44Z")
Why did the girl say “phosphorus” for “phosphoresce” and “jalapena” for “jalapeno”? I could not understand what the hell she was saying. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/14 "2008-05-29T23:42:57Z")
5 out of 5 Most of the time, I’m thrown by words I’ve never heard of. Not only have I heard all of these, but four of them are words I use on a regular basis. I was kind of thrown by word #4 because I wasn’t sure how to type a certain letter it uses that isn’t in the English language and doesn’t appear on my American keyboard, but it accepted the English equivalent. When removing the ñ in jalapeño to translate to English, why doesn’t it become jalapenyo, like cañon becomes canyon? ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/15 "2008-05-29T23:46:22Z")
5/5 here, but I also won the spelling bee in elementary school 🆒 But then I lost in the second round in the county bee. :o ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/16 "2008-05-30T00:34:02Z")
5/5 Which surprised me. I’m the schlub who misspelled the name of Michael Romanov in a report on him. Every time I mentioned his name, I flubbed it. (It was the same misspelling each time, but…) This might not have been so bad, but - My given name is Michael. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/17 "2008-05-30T01:09:51Z")
5/5. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/18 "2008-05-30T01:15:07Z")
[QUOTE=Rubystreak] Why did the girl say “phosphorus” for “phosphoresce” and “jalapena” for “jalapeno”? I could not understand what the hell she was saying. [/QUOTE] I thought she said “phosphoresce” quite clearly, although she did kind of swallow the last syllable of “jalapeno.” Maybe there are regional accent differences involved? ---
**Author:** ![EsotericEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e274bd/32.png) [@EsotericEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EsotericEnigma)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/19 "2008-05-30T04:20:24Z")
I couldn’t hear the last word at all. Being unfamiliar with it to begin with, I had no chance. I ended up throwing a “aasfdasdf” into the entry form just so I could find out what she was saying. E-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-e. Enunciate. ---
**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:** [May 30, 2008, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006/20 "2008-05-30T11:03:32Z")
I missed the last one by one letter. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it written down! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-spell/451006.md?page=2)