Janice Nketsiah, 12, from Accra, Ghana, reacts as she competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Srinidhi Rao, 13, from Hinsdale, Ill., competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sarah Fernandes, 11, from Omaha, Neb., competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Lucas Parker, 14, from Eagle River, Alaska, competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy is seen on the stage ahead of the first round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Event staff set the stage for the first round of spellers during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Karen Opoku-Appoh, 14, from Marana, Ariz., competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Stephen Briscoe, 14, from Hanceville, Ala., competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Matthew Baber, 13, from Peachtree City, Ga., reacts as he competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Luke Brown, 14, from Naples, Fla., left, and Evander Turner, 14, from Clermont, Fla., wait to compete during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Janice Nketsiah, 12, from Accra, Ghana, reacts as she competes during the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
OXON HILL, Md. – 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?
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ANSWERS
1. dasypodid
2. martinete
3. phenocoll
4. tyrolienne
5. opisometer
6. ditalini
7. coracidium
8. charadriiform
9. ajivika
10. Pachytylus
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