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 ;-)
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...
SCHADENFREUDE SHAHD-n-froi-duh
–noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
Origin:
1890–95; < German, equivalent to Schaden …
SCHOTTISCHE Noun - A round dance resembling a slow polka
Etymology - German, from the Scottish word schittisch (meaning Scottish), from Schotte (meaning Scotsman) …
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — Written for Monterey County's The Herald
Last month I heard the heart-charging announcement of my imminent stage debut. I was selected as …
TAOISEACH From Irish - means a prime minister. Pronounced TEA-shack.
TYIYN Not rated yet A monetary unit in Kyrgyzstan, equal to 1/100th of a som.
(From the Kyrgyzstani ti-yi-n, meaning squirrel, referring to when squirrel skin was a monetary …
GROENENDAEL Not rated yet Pronunciation - groo-nuhn-dahl, groh-, grey-, gren-uhn-
noun
The former name of the Belgian Shepherd Dog.
1920-25, The name of the town where …
Bewusstseinslage Not rated yet n. A psychological term meaning a state of awareness.
It was one of the most difficult words on the written round of the 2007 Scripps National Spelling …
SESQUIPEDALIAN Not rated yet The apt word to describe spelling bee participants and all other lovers of long words!
haecceity Not rated yet /hek-see'i-tee/
Noun
The aspect of existence on which individuality depends; the" hereness" and "nowness" of reality
From Latin, from haec, this …
étui Not rated yet \ā-twē\
Noun
Case for holding sewing articles and/or tools
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 Not rated yet 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 Not rated yet 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 Not rated yet 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 …
VALETUDINARIAN Not rated yet Missed in an adult spelling bee. Meaning a person who enjoys poor health and takes advantage of it.
IPECACUANHA Not rated yet Meaning — The dried root from which the purgative drug IPECAC is obtained.
About this Spelling Bee Word — I first came across this word …
Enjoy this page? Why not link to it? Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
Click on the HTML link code below.
Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
