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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 140 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Spelling Bee
| An adjective describing something that will burn. How do you spell in-FLAM-a-bull? | Spelling Bee
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inflammable. Inflammable can also be used to describe an easily excitable person.
| An adjective meaning "intended to teach", which is the correct spelling for dye-DACK-tick? | Spelling Bee
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didactic. The word has taken on a connotation of describing someone or something that's teaching in a "preachy" way.
| A noun from our French friends, it's basically an egg pie. How do you spell KHEESH? | Spelling Bee
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quiche. Mix 3-4 eggs with cream, add some fresh veggies, pour into a pie crust and bake at 350 degrees until the top browns. Test for doneness with a knife. That's an easy recipe KHEESH.
| And speaking of words, this one comes from our friends "across the pond" (UK). It's a word that means a line of people. Which is the proper British spelling of KEW? | Spelling Bee
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queue. A queue is also a term for a hair braid. By the way, indeed, cue fits the pronunciation but it isn't a line of people.
| As a noun, it's a beautiful blue stone worn in western jewelry. How do you spell TER-kwoise? | Spelling Bee
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turquoise. A variant spelling is turquois but that wasn't one of the answers.
| Ever been to tal-ah-HASS-see, the captial of Florida? Ever spelled it? | Spelling Bee
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Tallahassee. It must take new residents a bit of time to learn the correct spelling. Long-time Tallahassee residents (Tallahassiacs?, Tallahassians?)have somewhat of an advantage here.
| If one is adept at writing or speaking, s/he has mastered the art of RET-tor-rick. So how do you spell ret-TOR-ah-cull? | Spelling Bee
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rhetorical. e.g.,"Are you sorry you took this quiz?"
| Finally, if you dis-SPIZE something - anchovy pizzas, e.g. - you detest it. How do you spell this powerful word? | Spelling Bee
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despise. More than dislike, hate and even loathe, it describes the feelings aroused when anchovies ARE on the pizza.
souvenir. This was the first word on the National Spelling Bee written test in 2005. It comes from the French phrase, "se souvenir," meaning to remember.
xenocentric. This word comes from the same root as "xenophobia," meaning "fear of strangers or foreigners". Those who have seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" may remember the term "xeno," meaning foreigner, that was used in it.
coiffure. This word, given in the 3rd round, eliminated one of the favorites to win the competition, Kendra Yoshinaga. This was considered by many to be one of the hardest words in the round. It comes from the French word "coiffer" meaning groom.
ricochet. This fairly common word was given in Round 4. It was considered to be the easiest word in the round. It also comes from the French, from the word "ricocher" meaning to rebound.
dissilient. This, unfortunately, was the word I missed in round 4. I spelled it "desilient." But making it to round 4 still earned me 52nd place out of the 273 spellers in the competition, so I was satisfied with how I did. Its root is similar to that of the root of the word "resilient."
daguerreotypes. This was the first word given in round 5. It comes from the name of the French painter Louis J.M. DaGuerre.
sphygmomanometer. As intimidating as this round 5 word seems, it was spelled correctly by Anurag Kashyap, who later became the champion. Interestingly, this word also has a French origin. It comes from the French word "sphygmomanomètre," meaning (of course) sphygmomanometer. OF course, both of these words ultimately come from the Greek.
prosciutto. Many may be familiar with this very popular Italian ham, which appeared in round 6. It comes from a Latin verb meaning to suck out, which probably is an allusion to its dryness.
filiciform. 11-year-old Samir Patel received this word in round 6. When told he was correct, he yelled out, "Thanks mom!", arousing the audience's laughter. He went on to tie for second in the finals, a commendable achievement. In Latin, the prefix "filic-" means fern.
sommelier. Whenever you attend a fancy restaurant, and a man brings out a bottle of wine for you try, he is known as the sommelier. This word was given in the seventh round. Although it did travel through French, this word originally came from the Latin word "sauma," meaning packsaddle.
heterocoelous. When Finola Hackett, the last Canadian contestant remaining, received this word in the eighth round, she was sure that she would be out of the competition. However, she made an educated guess and it turned out to be right. The suffix -coelous, meaning cavitied, can make for a tricky spelling word because the o is silent.
cancrizans. When Hannah Smith got this word in the ninth round, she just laughed and said, "Whatever!", getting the audience in hysterics. She spelled it "cancrazanz" and was knocked out of the competition, but remains a memorable contestant. This word comes from the Latin word "cancer" meaning crab. Look again at the definition, and you may realized that it comes from the Latin word for crab because they walk backwards.
trouvaille. Aliya Deri, who tied for second, was knocked out on this word. Many believe it is the hardest word in the competition (it has FOUR silent letters in it.) It comes from a French 101 verb: "trouver," meaning to find.
Roscian. The kid I mentioned before, Samir Patel, was eliminated after misspelling this word (He spelled it "Rossian.") The word Roscian comes from the name of a person who was famous in ancient Rome, whose name was Quintus Roscius.
appoggiatura. This was the winning word for Anurag Kashyap, the National Spelling Bee champion! Congratulations to him! I hope you enjoyed my quiz! And in case you were wondering about the root of the winning word, it comes from the Italian verb "appoggiare" meaning to lean or rest.
Lieutenant. A Lieutenant is a commissioned rank in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard that is above Lieutenant Junior Grade and below Lieutenant Commander. (The same designation is used in many armed forces in other countries, too).
Corporal. A Corporal is a noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Army that is above Private First Class and below Sergeant. A Corporal is also a noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Marine Corps that is above Lance Corporal and below Sergeant. (The same designation is widely used in other countries, too).
Warrant Officer. This is usually a skilled technician or a helicopter pilot. A Warrant Officer is intermediate in rank between a noncommissioned officer and a commissioned officer, having authority by virtue of a warrant. My grandfather was a Warrant Officer!
enlist. Enlist means to enter the armed forces. Enlistment centers were set up around cities for when men were drafted they would go, sign up and take medical tests.
Sergeant. A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Army or Marine Corps that is above Corporal and below Staff Sergeant. A Sergeant can also be any of several ranks of noncommissioned officers in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps: Master Gunnery Sergeant; Staff Sergeant. (The designation is widely used in other English-speaking countries, too).
Brigadier. A Brigadier is a general officer ranking immediately below a Major-General. The word Brigadier, is derived from the French language. Note, however, that in French 'brigadier' is a non-commissioned officer. The French rank corresponding to brigadier is 'général de brigade - 'brigade general'.
artillery. Artillery are large-caliber weapons, such as cannon, howitzers, and missile launchers, that are operated by crews, and shoot projectiles over relatively long distances.
rations. Rations are a fixed portion, especially an amount of food allotted to persons in military service or to civilians in times of scarcity. I can't imagine having to live on rations.
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