# Jeopardy Question: Penalized for incorrect spelling?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-question-penalized-for-incorrect-spelling/395132>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 8, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-question-penalized-for-incorrect-spelling/395132 "2007-03-08T18:31:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-question-penalized-for-incorrect-spelling/395132/21 "2007-03-09T18:08:48Z")

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[QUOTE=ivylass]  
One FJ sticks out in my mind..it was some obscure political question involving what two states did something or other, and the woman who got it right forgot to phrase it in the form of a question. She was the only one to get it right, and even Alex was starting to congratulate her, until he had to backpedal because the judges called her on it.

The look of horror on her face was heartbreaking.  
[/QUOTE]  
Are you sure it was a Final Jeopardy question? During the commercial break before Final Jeopardy, the contestants are told, and allowed to write on their screens, the correct interrogative word (Who, What, Where, When, etc.) that will begin the Final Jeopardy question.

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-question-penalized-for-incorrect-spelling/395132/22 "2007-03-09T19:30:35Z")

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It was absolutely FJ. She had written down the two states, but forgot to put “What are” in front of it.

This was several years ago, so maybe the reminder is a recent addition?

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-question-penalized-for-incorrect-spelling/395132/23 "2007-03-09T19:32:02Z")

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[QUOTE=ShibbOleth]  
Would it have counted had she spelled it “Las Islas Malvinas”?  
[/QUOTE]

Only if the Argentinians had won.

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**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-question-penalized-for-incorrect-spelling/395132/24 "2007-03-09T19:38:44Z")

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[QUOTE=ivylass]  
It was absolutely FJ. She had written down the two states, but forgot to put “What are” in front of it.

This was several years ago, so maybe the reminder is a recent addition?  
[/QUOTE]

They’ve done since at least late 1994, which was the first time I was on. I suppose it’s possible that she was distracted during the commercial break and forgot to write down the “What” part when the contestant coordinators came around.

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