The Scripps National Spelling Bee wrapped up on May 29, naming two competitors as co-champions for the first time since 1962. Sriram Hathwar, a 14-year-old New Yorker, and Ansun Sujoe, a 13-year-old Texan, battled for five perfect rounds before the tie was announced.
While the two teens will share the title, they were both given the full championship prize — $30,000 in cash, a $2,500 savings bond, and a vast collection of books.
The words for the competition were selected from the 470,000 or so in Merriam Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. The following quiz includes 10 words from this year’s event. Try your luck and see how you might have fared against the nation’s top spellers. Unlike the competitors at the spelling bee, you won’t have the luxury of hearing these words pronounced out loud. But you’ll still get to try your hand at spelling some undeniable difficult words.
1. A close comrade
A. Corpsbruder
B. Coorpsbruder
C. Corpsbrooder
D. Corrpsbrooder
2. A snow leopard
A. Erbes
B. Irbuss
C. Erbihs
D. Irbis
3. Waterproof leggings
A. Antegropilos
B. Antigropelos
C. Antegropeloes
D.Antigropeloes
4. A Haitian social gathering
A. Bamboche
B. Bambosh
C. Bahmboche
D. Bammbosh
5. A nonrigid airship
A. Parsival
B. Parsevul
C. Parseval
D. Parsivul
6. A thin undercrust of pastry
A. Abbase
B. Abaisse
C. Uhbayse
D. Abays
7. A dialogue, especially of an altercation
A. Stychomythia
B. Stichomythia
C. Stechomythia
D. Stichomithia
8. The features section of a European newspaper or magazine
A. Feulletion
B. Foolletion
C. Feuletion
D. Fooletion
9. A nodule of clay ironstone
A. Atites
B. Atiites
C. Aetites
D. Aytites
10. Pertaining to philosopher Kierkegaard
A. Kierkegardian
B. Kierkegaardiun
C. Kierkegaardian
D. Kierkegaardianne