This page is dedicated to some of the best, and toughest, Spelling Bee Words I've come across so far. Most of them have appeared in major spelling bees and have been responsible for knocking out all but the champion spellers. Although, to be sure, I've included a few of them just for fun ;-)
Quick Quiz
How Many Did You Know?
Flashcards like these are my favorite way to learn new words. There are quite a few programs and courses out there you can use to build your vocabulary this way, but if you want to know my absolute favoriteClick Here.
In some cases I've included a snippet from the spelling bee in which I came across the word, so you can see it (mis-)spelled in real life!
n. Twilight or, sometimes more generally, a state of half-light.
This one crossed my path as I was reading about a wonderful Broadway production called The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This hilarious play, in which audience members participate in an on-stage spelling bee, was based on an improvisational play called, you guessed it, C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E. The original play was created by Rebecca Feldman.
EUONYM
n. A name that is well suited, often ironically, to the person or thing it refers to.
And who could forget the enthusiastic, if quirky, performance of Rebecca Sealfon as she spells this word to become the 1997 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.
n. A dark, sweet cheese, usually made from goat's milk.
With the highly unusual GJ combo making the sound of a Y, this one is an obvious spelling bee candidate.
David Riddle, a National Senior Spelling Bee champion, is especially familiar with this word. While attending The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a comedy Broadway musical, he was one of the four audience members to be called up on stage to compete in the theatrical Bee.
The word they had to resort to in order to finally send David back to his seat so they could get on with the play? You guessed it! G-J-E-T-O-S-T.
This obscure word, which derives from biblical ridicule leveled at the people of Laodicea, was the winning word at the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Here's the winner, Kavya Shivashankar, in action, employing her trademark 'invisible writing' technique to seal the championship...
n. The edible corm of the 'chestnutty' Iridaceae family of plants.
Spelling it not only sealed the victory, but doing so led bobbyblue to declare uintjie the hardest word ever spelled over the six-year history of the bee.
— David Riddle on his 2010 Williamsburg Adult Spelling Bee victory.
Other Visitors' Favorite Spelling Bee Words
Click below to see spelling bee words by other visitors to this page...
[French, from Old French estui, prison, from estuier, to guard, from Vulgar ...
QUAALUDE
Not rated yet
Noun The street/trade name for methaqualone, a CNS (Central Nervous System) depressant.
EISTEDDFOD
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n . A Welsh festival of literature, music and performance.
This word was the last word given to me at an advanced spelling bee held at my church, and ...
PROLEGOMENOUS
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This word means related to PROLEGOMENON, which is a prefatory comment. I just love saying the word because of the way it rolls off my tongue.
Hi ...
ELEEMOSYNARY
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This is a popular spelling bee word defined as 'pertaining to charity or charitable donations.' What I love about the spelling is that it looks almost ...
Last month I heard the heart-charging announcement of my imminent stage debut. I was selected as ...
VALETUDINARIAN
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Missed in an adult spelling bee. Meaning a person who enjoys poor health and takes advantage of it.
IPECACUANHA
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Meaning — The dried root from which the purgative drug IPECAC is obtained.
About this Spelling Bee Word — I first came across this word ...
How to Boost Your Vocabulary
If you're interested in spelling bees or other competitive vocabulary games, you might like a free mini-course I've put together for Word Buff subscribers.
In these tutorials I explain how spelling champions, Scrabble masters, and other word game experts have added thousands of crazy game-winning words to their vocabulary...
This selection comes from an impressive vocabulary program I started playing around with a year or so ago. It's based on a huge dictionary of 150,000 words taken from all the 'big name' vocabulary courses and exams.
Go on. Tickle my whiskers ;-)
