Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

AUDIO QUIZ: Try to spell the words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals

The middle school-age spellers who make it to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee spend years studying roots and language patterns and poring over the dictionary in order to give themselves a chance to be crowned bee champion

Ben Nuckols
Tuesday 30 May 2023 19:55 BST

The middle school-age spellers who make it to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee spend years studying roots and language patterns and poring over the dictionary in order to give themselves a chance to be crowned bee champion. They use those skills to decipher what letters could possibly make the sounds in words that everyday English speakers never hear, much less use in conversation.

Here are 10 words taken from a round in the 2022 finals, along with their definitions. Listen carefully: Can you spell any of them correctly?

ANSWERS

1. dasypodid

2. martinete

3. phenocoll

4. tyrolienne

5. opisometer

6. ditalini

7. coracidium

8. charadriiform

9. ajivika

10. Pachytylus

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in