If you’ve graduated from the 8th grade, you’re already too old to compete in the National Spelling Bee. But you can get a sense of what it would be like. Below are 20 words that have previously won the competition. You can ask for the language of origin, pronunciation and use in a sentence — just as the spellers do. And you can see how well you stack up against the middle-school students who have won in the past.
Listen About the word
Origin
New Latin, from Greek
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
An inflammatory condition of the skin characterized by redness, itching, and oozing vesicular lesions which become scaly, crusted, or hardened
listen cream can make skin feel less itchy.
Listen About the word
Origin
Medieval Latin
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
A front tooth typically adapted for cutting, or one of the cutting teeth in mammals located between the canines when canines are present
She chipped her
listen chewing something hard and had to see the dentist.
Listen About the word
Origin
Anglo-French, Latin
Part of Speech
Noun, verb, or adjective
Definition
(Noun)
1. The first letter of a name
2. Large letter beginning a text or a division or paragraph
3. Anlage, precursor
(Adj.)
1. of or relating to the beginning
2. Placed at the beginning
(Verb)
1. To affix an listen to
2. To authenticate or give preliminary approval to by affixing the first letters of the name of an authorizing representative
The
listen of his first name is the same as mine.
Listen About the word
Origin
Middle English
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
1. A clever trick or stratagem or a clever way of doing something
2. A special ready capacity that is hard to analyze or teach
Dorothy Greenwald had a
listen for spelling.
Listen About the word
Origin
Late Latin
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
1. The twisting or wrenching of a body by the exertion of forces tending to turn one end or part about a longitudinal axis while the other is held fast or turned in the opposite direction
2. The twisting of a bodily organ or part on its own axis
3. The reactive torque that an elastic solid exerts by reason of being under listen
Intestinal
listen can hinder digestion and lead to death.
Listen About the word
Origin
Late Latin, from Latin
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
The white of an egg
Some people prefer to eat only the
listen of an egg, not the yolk.
Listen About the word
Origin
Latin
Part of Speech
Adjective or noun
Definition
(Adj.) Lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics
(Noun) A person with a halfhearted attitude toward religion or politics
The town seemed
listen during the local elections.
Listen About the word
Origin
Latin, from Greek
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
1. A hall for public lectures or discussions
2. An association providing public lectures, concerts, and entertainments
Aristotle often taught philosophy in the
listen.
Listen About the word
Origin
Late Middle English, from Old French, medieval Latin
Part of Speech
Noun or verb
Definition
(Noun) A reward or recompense
(Verb) To give a reward to someone
They received a
listen for their honesty in returning the wallet.
Listen About the word
Origin
Italian
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
An embellishing note or tone preceding an essential melodic note or tone and usually written as a note of smaller size
Instead of going directly to the chordal tone, the composer began a step up and resolved, creating an
listen.
Listen About the word
Origin
Greek
Part of Speech
Adjective
Definition
(Of an inhabitant of a place) Indigenous, native
(Of a deposit or formation) Formed or originating in the place where found
An illegally introduced Asian fish has virtually wiped out the lake’s
listen species.
Listen About the word
Origin
French, from Late Latin
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
A moderate red
Her prom dress was a beautiful shade of
listen.
Listen About the word
Origin
New Latin, from Latin
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
A substitute
The president was unable to attend, so the vice president served as a
listen at the meeting.
Listen About the word
Origin
Latin
Part of Speech
Adjective
Definition
1. Of or relating to the period before the flood described in the Bible
2. Made, evolved, or developed a long time ago
3. Extremely primitive or outmoded
He has
listen notions about the role of women in the workplace.
Listen About the word
Origin
New Latin, from Greek
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
Any of a genus of nonmotile gram-positive spherical bacteria that occur singly, in pairs or tetrads, or in irregular clusters and include causative agents of various diseases (as skin infections, food poisoning, and endocarditis)
It is necessary to use a microscope to see
listen.
Listen About the word
Origin
Latin, from Greek
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
A chronic skin disease characterized by circumscribed red patches covered with white scales
His skin was red and itchy because of his
listen.
Listen About the word
Origin
French, from Old French and Latin
Part of Speech
Adjective
Definition
Showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent
The student seemed
listen about the test, barely taking time to study.
Listen About the word
Origin
French, from Greek
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
The green substance in plants that makes it possible for them to make food from carbon dioxide and water
In the fall, plants lose their green color because of a lack of
listen.
Listen About the word
Origin
Middle English, from Anglo-French, Latin
Part of Speech
Adjective
Definition
Involving or committing a violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred
His shirt featured a rock band and felt
listen contrasted against the decorations of the church.
Listen About the word
Origin
English, from Latin
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
1. A plant with long, stiff leaves and brightly colored flowers
2. The large middle portion of the sternum
My favorite flower is the
listen.
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Sources: Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionaries, Scripps National Spelling Bee