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Champagne.
That’s the word that spelled my downfall in the 1989 Lakeview Elementary Spelling Bee. Some say my ignorance of alcoholic beverages should have been celebrated, not punished. OK, nobody says that. I assume by now, fourth graders are spelling words like Chlamydia and menage a trois.
I’ve sat stationery these last 17 years, knowing there are four better spellers than me. In Denville, New Jersey. Born around 1979. Who attended public school. And weren’t sick during the preliminaries. I can accept that. But if I were compelled to justify my intelligence, I could always turn to the thriving adult spelling circuit.
Perhaps the most famous competition is Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Spelling Bee, held every other Monday at Pete’s Candy Store. So famous, in fact, they even have a blog. Hosts Jennifer Dziura and Bobby Blue are a little more lenient than our grade school Language Arts teachers. You get three strikes before you’re out. And while I’m not sure alcohol improves spelling prowess, the liquid courage increases turnout. (If you’re a TimesSelect member, you can read their Thursday Styles profile from last year.)
In addition to providing grown-ups an opportunity for redemption, adult bees have also been successful fundraisers. In Maplewood, NJ, $17,000 was raised to fund a tutoring program that had been cut by the school district. Want to hold your own? Scripps Howard has posted “official” adult spelling bee rules.
To keep things interesting, I’ve intentionally misspelled one word in this entry. A virtual high-five to the first person who spots it. No points will be awarded for pointing out any words unintentionally misspelled.
Comments (8)
Comment
Stationery–>Stationary
posted by James on 8-28-2006 at 10:59 am
Is “OK” the incorrectly spelled word? I thought the proper way was “okay”.
P.S. In third grade I misspelled “democracy” and never ever forgot it again. My redemption was winning in fifth grade but I can’t for the life of me remember the winning word.
posted by Stefanie on 8-28-2006 at 11:11 am
stationary………..
probably not the first but I will accept a Howdy for being one of the many
posted by allen hott on 8-28-2006 at 11:17 am
stationery should be stationary
posted by Drew Hicks on 8-28-2006 at 11:18 am
Give yourselves a round of applause. ‘Stationery’ is the incorrect word I shoehorned into this entry.
OK may not be okay. Get the full story from The Straight Dope:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_250
posted by Jason on 8-28-2006 at 11:44 am
I misspelled onomatopoeia. Hey–it was a tough school. In retaliation, I became an English professor.
posted by Adrienne on 8-28-2006 at 2:27 pm
Stationa- oh wait, somebody already answered the question. Well, I guess I’ll just have to entertain you with my misspelled word instead.
It’s a bit embarassing. See, in 7th grade, the word was, believe it or not, banana. I lost track of what letter I was on, and ending up adding an extra “na” to spell bananana…Yes, go ahead and laugh, but I’m sure you’ve all done something similar, whether or not you’re willing to admit it!
posted by Sammy on 8-28-2006 at 9:09 pm
I got to the district spelling bee when I was in eighth grade and misspelled the word “semester”. I let my nerves get to me. I forgot an “e” and spelled “semster”. I felt so stupid…
posted by Vanessa on 6-2-2008 at 9:58 pm