Image: Barry Rosenthal / Stockbyte / Getty Images
About This Quiz
In 1925, nine newspapers came together to create the United States' first national spelling bee. While the first winner received just $500 in gold pieces, today, the competition is widely-televised and winners enjoy over $40,000 in awards. The number of competitors has also skyrocketed from nine to about 515 in 2018.
Although the Scripps National Spelling Bee experienced a short hiatus during 1943, 1944, and 1945 due to World War II, the competition has gone strong for 91 years in total. While moderately simple words like "therapy," "initials" and "knack" prevailed in the earliest years of the competition, contestants today take on words more similar to "gesellschaft," "condottiere" and "soubresaut." It may be surprising to know that an elementary schooler can tackle those words, but it's true: today, the youngest competitors are only eight years old and the oldest are 15.Â
Not only are these adolescents amazing spellers, but they also have to be calm and poised, as the judges will disqualify anyone who utters an "um," "hmm" or "ah." Fortunately, during this quiz, there won't be anyone to send you home on national television. Unfortunately, however, there is not a potential $40,000 reward. Go on, test your vocabulary anyway with the following quiz!Â
Do you know the definition of the 1987 winning spelling word "staphylococci"?
A medical condition characterized by rough, inflamed patches of skin
A bacterium that includes many pathogens that cause pus formation
In 1987, 13-year-old Stephanie Petit from Pennsylvania won the 60th annual competition by correctly spelling "staphylococci." The word is the plural form of a kind of bacteria that causes staph infections and diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.
A rare disease that causes boils
The development of malignant growths near a primary cancer site
Advertisement
In 1928, the winning word was "albumen." Do you know what it means?
The replacement of a simple vowel with a dipthong (usually due to a forthcoming consonant)
The part of the egg that is clear when uncooked and white when cooked
In 1930, 14-year-old Helen Jensen of Iowa won the sixth-ever Scripps National Spelling Bee with the word "albumen." The last hour of the contest was broadcast on public radio. At this point in time, there were only 24 contestants (compared to 519 in 2018).
A small bone or nodule developed in a tendon where it passes over an angle
The part of the temporal bone that creates prominence in the cheek
Advertisement
The doctor said that the generic version of the drug would serve as a suitable ________ for the brand name one the patient took previously. Which word fits in the blank?
Xanthosis
Succedaneum
In 2001, 13-year-old Sean Conley from Anoka, Minnesota won the Scripps competition by correctly spelling "succedaneum. Succedaneum means "a substitute," especially for drugs or medicine.
Buccal
Cerumen
Advertisement
Which of the following words means indigenous or native?
Cubit
Ambulatory
Autochthonous
In 2004, 14-year-old David Tidmarsh won the 77th annual competition by correctly spelling "autochthonous." In the year prior, Tidmarsh took 16th place. Autochthonous comes from the Greek prefix "auto," which means "self, and "chthon," which means "of the earth."
Marocain
Advertisement
Can you correctly select the word that means "a political step or initiative"?
Colloquy
Agitprop
Démarche
In 2000, 12-year-old George Abraham Thampy from Saint Louis, Missouri won the competition with the word "démarche." After Rebecca Sealfon in 1997, Thampy was the second home-schooled student to ever win the competition. He also won second place in the National Geography Bee earlier that year.
Agora
Advertisement
Can you identify the word for a dumpling eaten by Jewish people during Passover?
Treyf
Potchke
Knaidel
In 2013, 13-year-old Arvind Mahankali from New York took home the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee prize for correctly spelling "knaidel." The word, which another term for a matzo ball, caused controversy when a number of Yiddish speakers said the winning spelling was incorrect. However, Mahankali's spelling matched Merriam-Webster's.
Pareve
Advertisement
Do you know the definition of the word feuilleton?
Lines written in opposing directions
A part of a publication dedicated to fiction, literature or criticism
In 2014, both Ansun Sujoe of Texas and Sriram Hathwar of New York won the competition. Sujoe correctly spelled feuilleton and Hathwar correctly spelled stichomythia to assume their winning positions. It was the first time the contest ended in a tie for over five decades.
An authoritative demand
An apparatus for visual signals
Advertisement
Scripps Bee contestants have spelled"myriacanthous" wrong three times. Do you know what this challenging word means?
Not to be avoided or changed
A stage during eukaryotic cell division in which the chromosomes separate to opposite poles of the cell
A thumb that is absent, rudimentary or lacks bones
Possessing multiple prickles or spines
Over the years, contestants have incorrectly spelled this word "myriacanthus," "meriocanthous" and "mirocanthous." In their defense, this word is very seldom used today. Animals like hedgehogs, porcupines and sea urchins might be considered to be myriacanthous.
Advertisement
Can you identify which of the following words means "to cause to become thinner by fasting" or "to cause to become soft or fragmented"?
Palatalize
Tagliatelle
Macerate
In 1972, 14-year-old Robin Kral from Texas took home the gold at the 45th Scripps National Spelling Bee with the word "macerate." Today, the verb is mostly used as a synonym for soften or liquefy when referring to food. To macerate as a term for "to grow thin" by fasting is a more outdated usage.
Coiffeuse
Advertisement
If a patient has a high fever, a doctor might prescribe an __________ drug. Can you fill in the blank?
Analgesic
Antineoplastic
Antipyretic
In 1991, 13-year-old Joanna Lagatta from Wisconsin correctly spelled antipyretic to take home the 64th Scripps Bee win. In the contest, Lagatta and the second-place winner, Maria Mathew, battled for 90 minutes until a winner emerged. Antipyretic means "used to prevent or reduce fever," and usually refers to drugs.
Anaerobic
Advertisement
The winning word from the 2002 competition means "to foresee or look foward." Can you guess what it is?
Prospicience
Pratyush Buddiga, 13, from Colorado Springs, Colorado won the 75th Bee with this word. This was the first year that the competition featured a written portion in order to limit it to two days despite increased participants.
Cogitate
Retrocede
Retrodict
Advertisement
Which of the following words means "to create or express through diligent effort"?
Elucubrate
In 1980, 14-year-old Jacques Bailey won the 53rd annual competition with this word. Elucubrate primarily refers to the the production of written works. It comes from the Latin word "elucbrare," which means "to compose by lamplight."
Foraminate
Echinulate
Heliciform
Advertisement
Can you correctly define "esquamulose"?
Indistinct or vague
Timid, weak or ineffectual
Having smooth skin without scales
Both winners of the 35th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1962 failed to spell the obscure word esquamulose correctly. After Nettie Crawford and Mike Day became co-champions, a tie wouldn't happen again for over 50 years.
Used to relieve pain or cure disease
Advertisement
Do you think you can guess the meaning of "euonym"?
One of two or more words with the same spelling or pronunciation but varying meanings
A word or named used as a substitute for something else
A word with two opposite meanings
A name aptly suited to the noun its named for
In 1997, 13-year-old Rebecca Sealfon from Brooklyn, New York won the competition with the word "euonym." Some might say that Usain Bolt is a euonym because he's known as the fastest man in the world (and his last name is bolt). Sealfon was the first home-schooled student to win the contest and is remembered for her ecstatic reaction to realizing she won.
Advertisement
Someone who is indifferent or apathetic might be called what?
Laodicean
Guerdon
Pococurante
In 2003, 13-year-old Sai R. Gunturi from Dallas, Texas won the Scripps contest by correctly spelling the Italian-derived word "pococurante." The classical Latin root "paucus" means "little, few" and "curante" means "to care." It's safe to say that Gunturi wasn't a pococurante about his $12,000 win.
Lyceum
Advertisement
Which of the following four nouns featured in National Spelling Bee competitions means "snare, trap, or ambush"?
Marocain
Stromuhr
Knaidel
Guetapens
In 2012, 14-year-old Snigdha Nandipati won the National Spelling Bee with the word "guetapens," which is a French word for "trap." Nandipati, who said she read encyclopedias for fun, planned to use her $30,000 in prize money to save for college.
Advertisement
The word "cynosure" was spelled incorrectly three times in the Scripps competition over the years. Do you know what this tricky word means?
A leader who seeks support by appealing to popular interests
A chaotic, uncontrolled gathering
Someone who practices severe self-discipline and avoids self-indulgence as a religious or spiritual discipline
Someone or something that is the center of attention or admiration
Over the years, "cynosure" was incorrectly spelled by contestants as "sinischure," "synosure," and "synosure." The word "cynosure" is derived in part from the Greek word "kunosoura," which means "dog's tail." Originally, the term denoted the star constellation Ursa Minor, which was used as a guide by navigators.
Advertisement
The adjective "procellous" has been incorrectly spelled in the Scripps Competition three times. Can you guess its significance?
Cheerful
Dark and foreboding
Stormy
Scripps contestants incorrectly spelled this word "procellus" twice and "procellas" once. Meaning turbulent or stormy, the first known instance of "procellous" appeared in a work by playwright Thomas Goffe around the early 15th century.
Bright and sunny
Advertisement
In 2010, the winning Spelling Bee word meant "an instrument designed to measure the blood flow in the arteries and veins." Which one of these words is it?
Sphygmomanometer
Croesus
Stromuhr
Anamika Veeramani, 14, won the 83rd Scripps National Spelling Bee with the word "stromuhr." At the time, Veeramani said she hoped to become a cardiovascular surgeon when she grows up. If she achieved her goal, she would likely end up using a stromuhr.
Dialyser
Advertisement
Do you know which word means "a peak of rock that projects above a surface of ice or snow"?
Nunatak
In 2015, 14-year-old Gokul Venkatachalam and 13-year-old Vanya Shivashankar came out of the competition as co-winners. This was the second year in a row that the outcome of the Scripps National Spelling Bee was a tie. Gokul correctly spelled "nunatak" and Vanya spelled "scherenschnitte" for the win.
Farouche
Quaternary
Lacustrine
Advertisement
The 69th Scripps National Spelling Bee had a fairly grim winning word; it meant "the act or practice of burying alive." Can you match the word to this definition?
Necrotize
Monture
Cynosure
Vivisepulture
In 1996, 12-year-old Wendy Guey from Palm Beach, Florida won the competition with the word "vivisepulture." The competition was Guey's fourth. The winning word comes from the Latin root word "to live" and "sepultura," which means "burial or funeral."
Advertisement
Can you guess which word means "a ribbed crepe fabric constructed from silk or wool"?
Gourmand
Marocain
In 2017, 12-year-old Ananya Vinay won the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee with this word. This year, the spellers ranged from ages 6 to 15 and came from all 50 states, U.S. territories, the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea. Competitors from Department of Defense schools in Europe also competed.
Muslin
Farouche
Advertisement
Do you know which word means "having a viscous or gelatinous consistency"?
Nudicaulous
Mucilaginous
"Mucilaginous" was incorrectly spelled three times by contestants over the years. Misspellings included "muculagenous," "mucelagenous" and "muscillaginous." The competition regularly repeats words from previous years.
Opinicus
Brummagem
Advertisement
The winning word in the first National Spelling Bee of all time was "gladiolus." Do you know its significance?
A split branch or stem
An acrobat or circus performer
A flower from the iris family
The very first National Spelling Bee took place in Washington D.C. on June 17, 1925. It was sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal; Scripps-Howard didn't begin hosting it until 1941. Frank Neuhauser, 11, won $500 thanks to his correct spelling of the word "gladiolus."
A portion of grass-covered ground
Advertisement
The winning word in the 24th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee competition was "insouciant," which means what?
Withering or decaying
Worried or anxious
Casual unconcern
In 1951, 13-year-old Irving Belz from Tennessee won the competition when he spelled this word. At this time, the first-place award was only $500 (compared to $30,000 today).
Gleeful
Advertisement
Can you guess which of these winning words is another term for green?
Bosky
Gauche
Smaragdine
In 1961, 12-year-old John Capehart from Tulsa, Oklahoma won the competition with this peculiar word. The word comes from the Latin word for emerald, "smaragdinus." It can also mean "of or pertaining to emeralds."
Glabrous
Advertisement
In 1999, the Scripps National Spelling Bee winning word was "logorrhea." Do you know its significance?
Possessing the form of animal
An inclination to extreme talkativeness
Nupur Lala, 14, from Florida won the 72nd Scripps Bee with the word "logorrhea." A 2003 documentary by Jeffrey Blitz called "Spellbound" covered this Bee in great depth and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
A pleasing, sweet sound
A feeling of agitation or distress
Advertisement
The word "metonymy" has been spelled in the competition incorrectly four times in the past couple decades. Do you know what it means?
A dramatic written commentary on a form of visual art
Comparison between two otherwise unlike things
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted with something else associated with it
Examples of metonymy include Edward Bulwer Lytton's famous lines "The pen is mightier than the sword" or Shakespeare's "Lend me your ears." Similar to a synecdoche, metonymy replaces something for another associated part. Referring to a man as a "stuffed suit" would also be considered metonymy.
A short account of an incident or event
Advertisement
The German-origin word "schwarmerei" has befuddled two finalists, leading to their defeat. Can you define it?
A brief, trivial fact
An encompassing remedy for ills or difficulties
Someone who is a nuisance
Excessive sentimentality
In 2004, 13-year-old Akshay Buddiga lost the competition by misspelling this word; Stuti Mishra then lost because of the word in 2012. The word stems from the German word schwärmen, which means to be enthusiastic or "to swarm."
Advertisement
The winning word in 2018 meant "the Christian fellowship or believers." Can you identify it?
Peshitta
Koinonia
In 2018, 14-year-old Karthik Nemmani from McKinney, Texas was the big winner. Nemmani spent about four hours a day studying for the Bee with his 16-year-old coach. She focused on teaching him the mechanics, patterns and etymologies of the words he was likely to encounter.
Aramaic
Antilegomena
Advertisement
Do you know what you call a painter who utilizes light and shade instead of color to lend the appearance of depth in an artwork?
Palaver
Chiaroscurist
In 1998, 12-year-old Jody Anne Maxwell from Kingston, Jamaica won the 71st Scripps National Spelling Bee with the word "chiaroscurist." She was the second student from outside the U.S. to take home the trophy in the competition's history.
Hierophant
Abstractionist
Advertisement
Do you know which word means "a yellowish discoloration of degenerating tissues"?
Xanthosis
In 1995, 15-year-old Justin Tyler Carroll from Arkansas won the 68th Bee with the word "xanthosis." Xanthosis was also used as a term for a mid-20th century strawberry-yellowing virus and a disease that causes the brown pigmentation of heart muscles and bones in cattle.
Amyloidosis
Anaphylaxis
Thrombosis
Advertisement
In 2004, 14-year-old Akshay Buddiga fainted during the Scripps competition amid spelling "alopecoid." He then managed to stand up and spell it correctly. Do you know what the word means?
In a state of decay
Relating to rural life
Capable of being understood in multiple ways
Like a fox
Akshay Buddiga had the microphone in his hand and was poised to spell the word during the 77th competition when suddenly, he fainted. The audience gasped and then gasped again as he quickly stood up again and spelled it correctly. He ended up finishing in second place.
Advertisement
Which of the following winning spelling bee word means "conducive to happiness"?
Elucubrate
Eudaemonic
In 1960, 13-year-old Henry Feldman won the Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "eudaemonic." The mid-19th century word stems from the Greek word eudaimonikos, which means happy.
Marocain
Elegiacal
Advertisement
Can you guess what the winning spelling bee word "cymotrichous" means?
Used to prevent fever
Despoiled or plundered
To have wavy hair
In 2011, 14-year-old Sukanya Roy won the National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word cymotrichous, which means "to have wavy hair." Roy's win was the fourth year in a row that an Indian-American won the competition.
Old-fashioned
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
