Studying for the School Bee/When Competing in the School Bee

Many of you may already have the Classroom Graded Lists. Unfortunately, I can't post the list, because it is copyrighted, but there is a free list with the words:(http://www.hexco.com/content/National_Spelling_Bee_2011_word%20list.pdf) The first few rounds at the school bee will usually have these words, then there will be off-list words. I stuggest studying the Consolidated Word List (CWL): http://www.spellingbee.com/consolidated-word-list. Some School Bees use Spell It!, which is also listed in the Hexco list above.

If you have not had your classroom bee yet, and your teacher is using words from the Classroom Graded Lists, you cannot ask for the origin, because it is not in the Classroom Pronouncer Guide. If your school uses the School Pronouncer Guide, which draws words from the Classroom Graded Lists and Webster's Third, you can ask for the origin. I do not have these lists, but the teachers and principal knew told us what we could ask.

You may know a specific root/combining form, but these questions are only entertained at the national level of the competition. A wrong answer can mislead the you. Study etymology patterns and their exceptions, and pay attention to the definitions of the words. For example, if you receive the word cytology, and you hear cell in the definition, you know the first four letters are c-y-t-o, and not s-i-t-o, c-i-t-o, s-y-t-o, etc.

The school spelling bee is not as nerve-racking as the National Spelling Bee. The school bee may be a little nerve-racking for spellers who have made it to nationals before or have been very close, because it is one wrong letter, and it is over. Although I am someone who is comfortable on stage, I only remember being nervous once, and I misspelled a word I knew (It was not my final Bee, although). You have to have confidence to stand up on the stage. Close your eyes if you need to, so you can concentrate on the word. Think of all the possible spellings of a word if you don't know it and choose the best one.

More Advice: Make sure the pronouncer pronounces the word correctly, and you pronounce it correctly back to him/her. Ask these questions, "Is the word pronounced correctly?" and "Am I saying this correctly?"

Good luck, and continue studying!

It's Time to Continue Studying (Even if Many Have Been Studying for a While)

Since my friend advanced to the school bee she has been studying with vigor. She wants to do very well in the entire contest, even if it is not the semifinals of the National Spelling Bee. I told her that making it to semifinals is probably the most difficult part of the Bee, because of the Round 1 test. She reads a lot in her spare time, and that is where a lot of words in the Round 1 test are drawn from (epilepsy, tutelage, electromagnetic, and others).

My sister is also studying for the Bee, and she wants to advanced to the championship finals of the Bee. This is a problem, because my friend and sister both go to the same school. The only way they can both make it to the national level is by being co-champions at the school and local level. My sister has four years, while my friend has three years, so they are still pretty young.

This brings me to my friend's sister who is only eight and in the third grade (she's too young, unfortunately). She can already spell words such as xanthosis, huapango, logorrhea, devoir, and a lot of other words. Her favorite word is kwashiorkor.

Continue studying spellers, and I hope to see you all next year at the National Spelling Bee!

Late Registration Deadline Ends Today

   If you want to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee make sure your school is signed up. Check to see if your school is enrolled for the 2012 Bee: https://secure.spellingbee.com/enrollment/check. If not, you may want to contact your school RIGHT NOW and sign your school up for the Scripps National Spelling Bee program If your school is enrolled it will be highlighted in green.

   This year will be very exciting, so good luck to you all!

Science-Related Terms/Science Fair

Here are some science-related terms:

phthisis
electromagnetic
apparatus
anthropometry
lumbago
clavicle
photosynthesis
adenosine
polysaccharide
fibromyalgia
resonance
decibel


The reason why I have not been posting a lot lately, because I have been very busy working on homework, but mostly my science fair project. I did my project on wood soundboard resonance. I had to find out which wood made the most resonant soundboard using what I had. I used a music box, a sound meter, and different types of wood. The category this went into was Physics (not my favorite, but very challenging). It seems as if I have gone from the Spelling Bee to the Science Fair.

I will try to post more often from now on!

Good luck spellers!

Deadline for Late Enrollment Coming Up!/Classroom and School Bees

Make sure your school is enrolled by December 16, because that is when the late enrollment closes. To see if your school is enrolled click on the link and type in your school's zipcode: https://secure.spellingbee.com/enrollment/check%20If If your school is not enrolled yet talk to your principal or one of your teachers (most likely your English teacher).

Many classroom and school bees have been conducted already. My friend just had her classroom bee yesterday, and she made it to the school level (in fourth and fifth grade she placed very high at the school level). This year she is determined to make it to regionals then perhaps nationals. She has 2012-2014 to try to win the Bee.

My sister's class bee will be in early January, then the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will compete about a week later. My sister wants to make it to nationals and advance to the championship finals. She has 2012-2015 to try to win.

As for my other friends from other schools, their classroom and school Bees are not going to be conducted until January, but I still wish them the best of luck!

Thanksgiving Terms/Being Thankful

Sorry that I have not posted for a while. Here are some terms related to Thanksgiving:

pilgrims
turkey
thankfulness
hunting
cornucopia
leaves
colonist
gratitude
cider
harvest
blessings
casserole
celebrate
drumstick

I am thankful for many things, including shelter, friends and family, and food. But since this blog is about the Spelling Bee I will thank the many companies, friends and family, and other people who encouraged me to continue on:

Tia Thomas - for encouraging me during and after my spelling bee career
My family - for coaching me along the way and always telling me to do my best
Hexco - for the amazing products that helped me do my best in the Bee
Visual Thesaurus - for letting me practice my spelling skills with the Spelling See
My Teachers - for teaching me great study skills that I used for the Bee and now
All Spellers - for always doing you best and reaching your goals
The International Children's Choir - for teaching me many languages that were very beneficial to me in the Bee
My friends - for being cheerleaders that encouraged me to always do my best

Thank you all! Spell on!

It is Time for a Fresh Start

Many schools and school districts have ended the first quarter of the school year. Ask yourself, "How did I do last quarter, and how can I do better next quarter?" During my spelling bee career I reviewed how well I studied every quarter. If I did not do well one quarter I try to improve the next quarter. It is the same with school. Even if you received all A's there is always room for improvement. For example, "I must manage my time better while taking tests."

The Spelling Bee taught me great studying techniques that help me do my homework and study for tests. For example, "Writing down words several times helps me remember them better, and when I study for tests I write down facts several times."

You should set goals, and stay on top of things. If you want to read my post about setting goals click on the link: http://annespellingbee.blogspot.com/2011/07/setting-goals-has-great-rewards.html.

Remember to find time to do homework, activities, and spelling.

Good luck, and continue studying!

Happy Birthday to "The Phantom of the Opera"!/Music to My Ears!

Belated Happy Birthday to The Phantom of the Opera! On October 9 the show turned twenty-five, and celebrated the show on October 1-2. I think the show is spectacular, the costumes are lavish, the sets are extravagant, and so much more to describe it!

Why am I talking about this? If you have seen the musical, read the book, and/or seen the various versions of movies you may know that it takes place in France. Since the most famous version of the show is the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, here are some musical terms:

Dixieland
descant
monotonic
subinterval
choral
cadence
cadenza
adagio
schmaltz
attacca
gravicembalo
psalmist
brilliante
skirl
cantillate
fortississimo
guaracha
lacrimando
piacevole
passacaglia
appoggiatura
euterpean
ossia
sfogato

Early Enrollment ends Soon

Make sure your school is enrolled by October 17 (Monday) for the early enrollment. Late enrollment will begin on October 18th, then it will end December 16.

Click on the link, and type in your school's zip code.
https://secure.spellingbee.com/enrollment/register

If your school is not enrolled, email your teacher, principal, or other people, or talk to them on Monday. Good luck spellers!

Is it Misspell or Mispell? DING for Mispell

There have been many words that have been misspelled, even the really easy ones. Several months ago there was a news article that said Chicaco instead of Chicago. What other silly misspellings have you seen? On one of my spelling bee trophies the word sarsaparilla is spelled sarsaaparilla. I noticed this once I received the trophy. There is a small store in my city called Millennium. Unfortunately, it was missing one n, so it was misspelled as millenium.

Misspellings are all around us, and they are sometimes obvious, and often disturbing. There was an article about spelling and grammar mistakes that make you look unintelligent. In business, excellence is extremely important to aim to. Misspellings and bad grammar can hold you back in your career.

http://work.lifegoesstrong.com/7-spelling-and-grammar-errors-make-you-look-dumb

http://www.oddee.com/item_96509.aspx

An email that was sent out by the principal of my school for the spelling bee, misspelled the word mispell. I was pretty glad that it was not the letter sent out by The Valley Journals (the Salt Lake Valley's Bee Sponsor), or else 84 spellers would have seen the mistake.

There have been many news articles that have had misspellings. I even caught several spelling mistakes in my school newsletter several months ago.

http://www.alphadictionary.com/fun/funny_misspelled_words.html

Have you ever read a list of excuses from parents with the spelling unchanged? Here are some of my favorites:

"My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him."
"Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He has a cold and could not breed well."
"Please excuse Mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps."
"Please excuse Jackie for not having her homework she was a little under the weatherman, and there was a big flurry in Central America."

Here are more:
http://madtbone.tripod.com/school.htm

It is fun teaching others spelling. I have several classmates who have trouble with it, and I am there to help them. It is sometimes disappointing to my classmate when a teacher does not know how to spell a certain word (gratefully not any of the English, Language, or Creative Writing teachers).

It does not matter if you are in your spelling bee career or not! You know you can help other people no matter where you are!

Words Relating to International Relations/Choir Performance

Since my choir had a performance for dignitaries from around the world today, here are words that have to do with international relations:

Easy
accord
agripower
disarmament
doctrinaire
preferentialism
outsourcing
imbalance
federation
potentate
superpower
trusteeship

Intermediate
aeropolitics
cartel
ambassadorial
deterrence
espionage
asylum
alliance
expatriate
viceroy
jingoish
protocol
treason

Advanced
Balkanize
enclave
rapprochement
weltpolitik
Eurocrat
bellicose
machtpolitik
Hanseatic
maquiladora
mercantilism
renvoi
reconnaissance
satrap
shogunate
thalassocracy

I recall that several members of the choir spoke to people from other countries, in the language they spoke. There were people from Brazil, Spain, Philippines, Germany, Russia, African Countries, America, Finland, China, Korea, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Peru, and many other countries! Members of the choir look forward to this event every year! We sang songs in Swedish, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, English (American, Irish, and British), Chinese, Arabic, Ghanaian - Fanti (can also be spelled Ghanian), and a song originally Maori (we sang it in English).

The best part was meeting people from all over the world. People took pictures of us, asked what country we represented (by our costumes), and spoke to us. I cannot wait to do this next year!

My Sister's Studies

My sister has been consumed into her studies. She loves so many of the words and we also talk about their history. She is really excited for the National Spelling Bee and thinks she will make it! Her goal for 2012 is to still make it to Championship Finals and that is excellent! She looks up to me and a lot of the spellers who have done exceptionally well at the national finals. Her spelling bee role model is me, because I inspired her to do the spelling bee. She would have not done it, if it was not for me.

Just last night she spelled 150 words with only 13 misspellings. It is currently difficult to figure out her trouble spot. Every speller has difficulties and I know she has at least one. I will figure out her difficulty spot, even if it may take me a few more days.

This is late and I am sorry that I never posted a list from Hexco. My sister finished the 2011-2012 Word List several days ago. We will go through it again, although. http://www.hexco.com/content/National_Spelling_Bee_2011_word%20list.pdf

If a family member or other adult does not have time to coach you, there are certain products that you can buy so you can study on your own.
http://www.hexco.com/categories/National-Spelling-Bee/

You can also use Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee to help you. Even if it does not have etymology, it is also a pretty useful tool for learning new words.
http://visualthesaurus.com/bee

My sister has been using a lot of the sites and products for studies when I am not around.

Spelling Bee Videos/Spelling Bee Club

During the Christmas Break I plan to start posting videos of spelling bee lectures. These videos will go through word etymology, what to do and what not to do at a spelling bee, and so much more! I have started making videos already, but I will edit them later.

I have not had time to post videos of songs of certain languages. Unfortunately, I do not have accompaniment parts for most songs, so I have decided to post videos of my choir singing. This weekend I am planning to post some. Sorry for the delay, everyone!

The spelling bee club planning is still in process. The only spellers I coach right now are my close friends who are younger than me.

By the way, do not expect me to post too often, unless there is a vacation!

For now,

"Spell with your dream!
Spell with your heart!
Spell with your love!"

Make Sure Your School is Signed Up for the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program

The deadline for the Scripps National Spelling Bee program enrollment is on October 17th. The late enrollment period commences on October 18th and ends December 16th. Ask your teachers if your school has already been enrolled. If you are too anxious to know go to the spelling bee website: spellingbee.com and click on the Enroll Now button. Type in the school's zip code and check if your school is already enrolled.

If your school is not enrolled simply talk to the principal or a teacher of your school. It would be nice if every school in the country and around the world is enrolled, but it is pretty expensive!

Good luck to everyone!

P.S. Sorry if I have not been posting often, because I am busy coaching my friends and I have a lot of homework.

Spelling Studies Continue (Even in High School)

Knowing that high school is full of a lot of homework, studying, and dedication (especially when all my classes are honors) has helped me understand why the spelling bee only goes up to eighth grade. I still have time to help my sister and other friends, but I have hardly any time to study.

My teacher has a Word of the Day wall in her room and I love learning the new words and writing some of my favorites down. When one of my classmates taught our class the word bourgeoisie (with the definition, origin, part of speech, and sentence) she forgot how to spell it. The teacher asked, "Does anyone know how to spell the word?" I raised my hand and spelled it.

In science we learn a lot of Greek and Latin roots. It is a good thing that I still remember them, because we have to figure out the definitions of words. In fact there have been many science terms we learned that have been used at every level of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Since my school does the science fair, I will be doing a lot of research and I may pick up more of the obscure words.

In Geography/Ancient Civilizations we learn words from different cultures. Just today, we talked about Ancient India and learned the word bhutatathata. It was not a new word to me, but new to the rest of my class, and a word my teacher could not quite pronounce, so I had to help her. That was very interesting and exciting to know that one of my favorite words was mentioned in school!

High school is going to be really exciting and I hope to learn more words!

264 Days Until the 2012 National Spelling Bee

That may seem like a long time right now, but it will be here before you know it. If you have not started studying, begin as soon as possible. May 27 is when most of the spellers arrive in Washington, D.C. 265 days until the barbecue, 266 days until the Round 1 test, 267 days until the oral preliminary rounds, and 268 days until semifinals and finals.

Now that I am coaching more than one speller often, my friends and sister have been doing well in their studies. Perhaps one of them will make it to nationals in 2012.

I'm coaching three spellers from the same school. Two of them are currently eligible, while one has to wait another year to try and make it to the National Spelling Bee. I am also coaching spellers from my old schools, and a friend who moved to a different state (I coach him by email, but his parents help him, too). There are currently seven spellers in the club, even if I am still planning it.


I have decided to do Word of the Week now, instead of Word of the Day.

piezochemistry - \pee-ay-zoh-kem-i-stree; pee-ayt-soh-kem-i-stree; pI-ee-zoh-kem-i-stree\ [Greek + Greek] noun: scientific branch that studies the relationship between pressure and reactions

Good luck!

Persian/Sanskrit/Hindi Rules

Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi are rare languages used at the National Spelling Bee.

A majority of Persian words go through Hindi, Arabic, Turkish, and Sanskrit.

Persian
The long e sound at the end of the word is spelled with an i. (examples: abbasi, tangi, kusti)

The g sound can be spelled with a g or gh. (examples: idgah, ispaghul, ghorkar)

The k sound can be spelled wiyh a c, k, or kh (examples: calean, kamboh, Bakhtiari)

There are many Sanskrit and Hindi words that are Hindu terms. They have also donated many words to the English language.

Sanskrit/Hindi

Silent h

bhutatathata (bh and th)
dharma (dh)
gymkhana (kh)
phansigar (ph)

The long "e" sound at the end of the word is spelled with an i. (examples: chhatri, pachisi, dhauri)

The schwa at the end of the word is spelled with an a or ah. (examples: mahatma, natya, almirah, khankah)

The "ana" sound is pronounced with a British accent at the end of the word. It is spelled as ana. (examples: jnana, zenana, dhyana)


Word of Yesterday - Wundtian \vunteean\ [German biographical name + English] of or relating to Wilhelm Wundt or his theories or investigations

Word of the Day - wurrup \wuh-ruhp\ [Australian native name] a hare wallaby of the central and western parts of Australia

French Class - "I Recognize that Word!"

At my school it is required to take a language class. I am currently taking French and it is a very exciting class. There are so many words I recognize, because of the spelling bee. French used to be my least favorite origin to study, now it is my second.

Some of the words we have learned in French that have been used at the spelling bee:
devoir
devant
mademoiselle
noisette
rognon
echappe
rapprochement
eclat
ecrase
espadon

I asked, "What is swordfish in French?" My teacher replied, "Espadon". We really did not study these words, but I asked for them. Studying a lot of French-derived words for the spelling bee has been paying off in my French class.

My Competition Years for Scripps are Over

The competition years for the Scripps National Spelling Bee are over. I am still coaching my sister and she is excited! Today, I began high school and in my Honors English class, we will be learning Greek and Latin roots. I guess I will have background knowledge of that. I am also taking French, which will be very helpful for my sister in the Bee, who cannot take a language class yet. I will teach her the word patterns that I learn!

I am so excited for everything that will happen this year. High school is very different from Elementary and Junior High, but I know I can do it. If last year was your last year in the Bee, do not stop learning new words or spelling. There is still the AARP National Spelling Bee, and there are other Bees out there as well. I heard that someone is planning a High School National Spelling Bee, but it is online.

For you spellers who are still eligible, remember that every speller has to stop competing at Scripps one day. If you are a third grader and went to nationals, you still have five years remaining, but you will be finished competing at Scripps. Do not take any spelling bee moment for granted, because you never know if you will make it back to the National Spelling Bee.

Word of the Day
catafalque - /kad-uh-falk/ [Latin to Italian] structure used in churches in funerals

If I get too busy, I may be only posting Word of the Week. Good luck spellers!

Portuguese Rules

Did you know that Portuguese has passed through non-European languages, such as Sanskrit, Arabic, and several African languages? Portuguese and Spanish are closely related, with a few exceptions.

The long "a" sound is spelled ei. (examples: pareira, capoeira, seringueiro)

The long "i" sound is spelled ai. (examples: coaita, saimiri, pirai)

The long "u" sound can be spelled u, o, or ou. (examples: murumuru, chocalho, chibigouazou)

The "sh" sound is spelled with an x. (examples: abacaxi, xarque, caixinha)

The "sh" sound at the beginning of the word is spelled with a ch. (examples: chamade, chamiso, chavante)

The "k" sound is spelled with a c or qu. (examples: candiru, callimico, jequitiba, macaque)

The "zh" sound is spelled with a j. (examples: feijoada, teju, acajou)

Portuguese is a rare language used at the National Spelling Bee. There will be one appearing up every now and then. If you know the rules, you will probably get the word right.

Tomorrow or whenever I can, I will post rules from Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi.

Spelling Bee Studies for My Sister

Wow! My sister is getting better at spelling all the time. Just three days ago on the DS, she got a streak of 67 correctly spelled words! She even correctly spelled guilloche and she did not watch the 2006 National Spelling Bee with me.

Her favorite word is still Abib (aveev). I know she will do well in the spelling bee, not just because she is a good speller. When she reads, she writes down obscure words. She recently learned the word kibbutz in Left Behind.

Her goal this year is to make it the the championship finals. That was not my goal during my first year when I was eligible to compete. My goal was to make it to just make it to nationals. When I learned that I could have passed the test if I had made it to nationals, I wanted to advance to the quarterfinals or even semifinals the next year. I quizzed my sister on the test and she only missed two words: Bewusstseinslage and malocclusion. We both took the test at the same time the next year, but at home. She missed three words and I do not remember which ones she missed. I missed galimatias as galamatias. My sister did well with the test in 2009, 2010, and 2011, missing only one word in 2009 and 2010 (2009 - onychorrhexis ; 2010 - bouleversement). In 2011, she passed it.

We have been making a schedule for her now that she has started school. Are you spellers ready for school and the spelling bee? Good luck everyone!

Spanish Rules - Part 2

I have not posted anything for quite a while, because I have been getting ready for high school. Next Monday, I will continue the Word of the Day posts.

The long "e" followed by "yuh"/yoh" sound is spelled with an illa/illo. (examples: mantilla, banderilla, blanquillo, piloncillo)

The long "o" sound is spelled with an o. (examples: concho, zocalo, diablo)

The "h" sound is spelled with a j. (examples: jicama, zanja, aparejo)

The "k" sound can be spelled with a c or qu. (examples: cacao, cantina, quiaquia, quinta)

The "kay" sound is spelled que. (examples: quesadilla, quebrada*, quebracho)

The schwa at the end of the word is spelled with an a. (examples: bodega,  junta, hacienda)

The letters ch and ll are considered single letters in Spanish.

A "th" sound will be spelled with a d if it is surrounded by vowels (examples: cogida, rejoneador, toreador)

*If any of you spellers have heard of the song Sambalele in Portuguese, they use the word quebrada. If you have taken Spanish or studied this word, do you wonder why it was used in the song? Portuguese and Spanish have a very close relationship, because they have many similarities in spelling, but Portuguese has some spellings that make it unique from Spanish. I will be writing about Portuguese rules starting tomorrow or whenever I can.

Registration Begins

On the spelling bee website (spellingbee.com), it says that school registration for the Scripps National Spelling Bee has begun. The price is higher this year, $109, unlike prior years when it was just $99. Make sure your school is enrolled before the deadline: October 17, 2011.

Since The Valley Journals started sponsoring spellers for the spelling bee, my sister's school has been enrolling since then. Her studies are going well and she is doing amazing! I do not know how she figured out bremsstrahlung so quickly, but I guess she's been reading How to Spell Like a Champ or one of my etymology dictionaries.

Good luck to all the spellers competing this year!

Spanish Rules - Part 1

Spanish is an important language to learn in our lives. I took Spanish from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, but it was not for a grade. In fourth and fifth grade, we learned conversational Spanish and I still remember most of the phrases.

It is best to spell Spanish words as they sound with the exception for a few consonants: ll, which is usually pronounced "y" and j, which is pronounced "h".

The Spanish alphabet does not have a k, although k is found in English words from Spanish only when Spanish has borrowed those words from some other language. Latin also has an influence on French.

Do not use a ph spelling for the "f" sound in Spanish-derived words.

The long "a" sound is spelled e. (examples: zarzuela, capeador, coleta)

The "g" + long "a" sound is spelled gue. (examples: vargueno, malaguena)

The long "a" sound at the end of the word is spelled e. (examples: suerte, bombre, guanche)

The long "e" sound at the end of the word is spelled with an  i or e. (examples: bonaci, caji, zacate, timbe)

I will post more rules tomorrow or when I have time!

Registration

Registration for the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee begins on August 16th, which is twelve days from now! My friends, sister, and cousin are very excited to compete. If the Bee was extended throughout high school I would be competing. At least I am very excited for every single speller at all levels. Who knows who will win the entire Bee?

On the first day of school last year, I mentioned the spelling bee in English class and my school enrolled immediately. I had been studying for such a long time that I had to make sure my school was enrolled. Before 2010 and 2011, I went to a school that did not sign up for Scripps, and from 2007-2009, I had to compete in the Association of Christian Schools International Spelling Bee. The first - fourth graders could only go through class, school, then district, but I was sick the day of the school bee. Remember that there was no sponsor from my area 2002-2008.

The Bee will be very exciting this year and I cannot wait for all of activities! Good luck to everyone!

Japanese Rules

After losing Internet connection for several days, I finally get to start posting Japanese Rules. There were a lot of Japanese words used at the National Spelling Bee this year, such as teppanyaki, haori, urushiye, and gagaku.

The long "a" sound is spelled ei or e. (examples: geisha, yosenabe, reiki)

The long "e" sound at the end of the word is spelled with an i or e. (examples: chorogi, gi, koji, Meiji, yakitori, momme, mume)

The long "i" sound is spelled ai. (examples: bonsai, kaiseki, yamamai)

The long "o" sound is spelled o. (examples: gyokuro, zendo, gingko)

The "oo" sound is spelled u. (examples: chanoyu, zaibatsu, shiatsu)

The "k" sound is spelled k. (examples: kakemono, bugaku, soba)

The schwa sound at the end of the word is spelled a. (examples: ikebana, kana, katana)

Words that have double consonants: hokku, issei, momme, seppuku, shikken, tenno, teppanyaki

Unfortunately, I do not know any songs in Japanese. Whenever I can, I will post more rules for the next origins. Continue studying and good luck!

Italian Rules - Part 3

I do not think I will be able to record the Italian song today, because I have a sore throat. I will probably do it later in the week. Today, I will finish the Italian section, then go onto Japanese tomorrow (or whenever I can).
For the Final Day of Italian Rules:

The "ts" sound is spelled zz. (examples: intermezzo, palazzo, pizzicato)

There are words that have tt. (examples: allegretto, graffito, regatta)

The "ny" sound is spelled gn. (examples: agnolotti, Bolognese, malmignatte)

The "sk before the long or short "e" sound is spelled sch. (examples: maraschino, scherzo)

The schwa at the end of the word is spelled with an a. (examples: buffa, camorra, cantata)

A lot of words in Italian have a silent g. (examples: intaglio, gnocchi, and scagliola)

Like in Latin and French, Italian words usually avoid using the letter k.

Aiming High/Sister's, Cousin's, and Friend's Studies

After Anna-Marie Sprenger tied for 27th at the National Spelling Bee this year, I learned that several of my friends want to win the National Spelling Bee. They first were inspired by me and were disappointed that I never saw my dream become reality, but Anna-Marie brought me joy when she was the first speller from Utah to make it to semifinals! If you are reading this, Anna-Marie, I say that this is a huge accomplishment! Advancing to semifinals sure is not easy. Thanks for encouraging my friends!

I wanted to win when Kavya Shivashankar won in 2009. She was only ten when she made it to the Championship Finals in 2006 and I was very impressed. Kavya was a great inspiration to me and I wish her sister, Vanya, the best of luck next year!

You always want to do better than before. For example, a speller ties for 14th this year, then wins next year. Sukanya Roy tied for 12th in 2009 and 20th in 2010, but won this year. It does not matter how low your ranking was, but it is all the time and effort you put into this.

My sister wants to advance to semifinals next year, then will try to make it to championship finals. She is really studying hard now. I started her with the Nintendo DS and she has made it to the Ultimate Level, but has difficulties figuring out several words. She has also been using Visual Thesaurus (visualthesaurus.com/bee) and that has been pretty helpful, even if she does not have an account. I do not have an account, either, but still love to use it.

Here are some of her favorite words:

Abib  (aveev)
caffeol
bhutatathata
Maecenas
hyperbole
eohippus
Bewusstseinslage
snipsnapsnorum
visite

I do not know how my cousin is doing, because she is either going to compete at the Daily Camera Spelling Bee in Boulder, Colorado or the Denver Post Spelling Bee in Denver, Colorado. If she does the Daily Camera Spelling Bee, she may have a good chance of making it to nationals, but at the Denver Post Spelling Bee, there is Dhivya Murugan, who tied for sixth this year, so I do not know my cousin's chances there.

I have a friend who lives in Arkansas and he is a really good speller. When he lived here in Utah, he won his school spelling bee two years in a row. He even received the word infralapsarianism and spelled it correctly. He knows a lot of music terms, too, because he plays the violin.

All of my friends are contenders to win their regional bees. I cannot wait to see the results! Good luck to all and continue spelling!

Italian Rules - Part 2

The "y" + long "o" sound at the end of the word is spelled io. (examples: latticinio, preludio, verdicchio)

The "eenie" sound at the end of the word is spelled ini. (examples: rappini, spiedini, ditalini)

The "ch" sound is spelled cc. (examples: focaccia, breccia, carpaccio)

The "k" sound before schwa or long "o" sound is spelled cc or just c (examples: beccafico, zoccolo, pecorino, giocoso)

The "k" sound before schwa, short "a" is spelled c. (examples: cantata, campanile)

The "k" sound before the long "e", short "e", or long "a" sounds is spelled ch. (examples: chianti, chiaroscuro, marchesa)

Tomorrow will be the last day of posting Italian rules. Hopefully I will get a song up in Italian as well. So continue spelling and study a lot! Good luck!

Italian Rules - Part 1

Sorry for the long wait, but I will start posting the Italian rules! If you play an instrument and you receive music term at the National Spelling Bee, it is most likely Italian. I recently played a song called Romanze by Schumann, and I have to play it semplice, affettuoso. If you receive a food word, it may be Italian. Food from Italy is very delicious. In my food and nutrition class, I did a report on Italian food. Here are some: gnocchi, prosciutto, Bolognese, and perciatelli. (See more explanations at the bottom)

In choir, there was a section in one of our songs that was in Italian, but some of us thought it was Latin. Latin has a big impact on Italian.

Now for some rules:

The long "a" sound at the end of the word is spelled with an e. (examples: tagliatelle, pappardelle, scintillante)

The long "e" sound at the end of the word can be spelled with an i or e. (examples: fettuccelle, brindisi, ziti, cannelloni, panettone, lazzarone)

The long "e" + long "o" sound at the end of the word. (examples: atrio, nuncio, capriccio)


Hints for Italian:

Whenever you go to a restaurant, read the menus because there are a lot of words to learn. Before the 2010 National Spelling Bee, I went to Olive Garden and learned several words. Gnocchi was one of the words I encountered. I tried it and it was pretty good. A few weeks later, the word was used at the National Spelling Bee.

If you play an instrument, pay attention to the words. Some are giocoso, siciliano, semplice, sonata, concerto, fughetta, acciaccatura and arioso. The winning word in 2005 is an Italian word. What word is it? Appoggiatura. This word is also in Suzuki Flute School Volume 5 and 6. Paying attention to words pays off, too!

Origins I Will Post Over the Next Few Weeks

Here are some origins that I will write about over the next few weeks:

Italian
Japanese
Spanish
Arabic
Sanskrit/Hindi
Turkish
Greek/Latin
Slavic
Imitative/Unknown Origin
Uncommon Origins: Mayan, Tagalog, Icelandic, Basque, Welsh, Gaelic, Chinese, and others

Do not get worried if I miss an entire week of posting or even longer, because I still have more homework to do after my Geometry classes.

In fact, I will post videos of some of the origins (if I have time). If I can use my dad's video camera and video editor, the words will show up as I say them. If I cannot, I will have to spell or write them on my board. I will also sing a song from each language if I know any.

I Guess I Will Be Learning Afrikaans and Zulu

Other than learning French, I guess I will have to learn Afrikaans and Zulu. Why? I recently learned that the tour group of my choir is going to South Africa next year! It is either that or the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio. My choir apparently has gone on so many tours, but I do not think there has been one since 2006. I will name some places: Jerusalem, a lot of places in China (Xiamen - 2006 World Choir Games, Guilin, Xian, and many more places), England, Norway, D.C., Jordan, and New York City. The choir has gone to places multiple times, and our choir director does not remember everywhere we've been to.

Here are some Zulu-derived words:

mbaqanga
impala
mamba
indaba

I posted Afrikaans words several weeks ago, so check that out.

I am just so excited for the tour even if it is a year away! We were invited by the Drakensberg Boys Choir director, and the invitation was accepted! I also hope we go to the World Choir Games, too!

Watch Replays of the 2011 National Spelling Bee/"Is it Just My Luck, or am I Getting All French Words?"

Do you want to watch the moments of the 2011 National Spelling Bee, again? You can by watching replays at this website http://espn.go.com/espn3/index/_/sport/kids. Make sure you click the button by All Times Eastern, then click on All. After, go down and choose a video to watch.

If you do not have ESPN or your parents are watching the NBA Finals, you can watch on the website live! It is free and you can also do the Play Along Version. I used this version from Rounds 2-20. It was very fun and I felt like I was still competing! For you spellers, this is good training. Listen to all the information (that is if the spellers ask for anything), then pay attention to every letter. Before, I had to cover up the word, then write it in my notebook, but now, I get to spell along (I still have to write the words in my notebook).

In 2003, Samir Patel asked, "Is it just my luck, or am I getting all French words?" An origin that has so many confusing rules. Since 2009, one speller (Nicholas Rushlow) has always received French words in Round 4. (2009 - noisette, 2010 - devant (divon), 2011 - devoir). In every spelling bee I have been in since fifth grade, I have always received a French word in Round 5. I did get a few later, but my French words always began in Round 5. I have only missed two French words in competition, but never in Round 5.

Summer is Almost Over

There is exactly a month and nine days away from my first day of high school! Summer was pretty fun this year, but it feels so much slower than 2005-2010. I have been finishing Webster's Third (I have the X, Y, and Z sections to finish), doing Geometry (This class is really fun, especially constructions and all the Algebra in it), reading, writing, playing my flute; piano, blogging, camping, and spending time with cousins. Enjoy your summer and continue studying!

I will start posting Italian rules tomorrow or Friday, so I have time to post a lot.
I will begin writing a spelling bee book to help aid spellers. The book will be called Spell with Your Heart! I cannot post a lot today, because I have a test tomorrow! Good luck with spelling!

German Rules - Part 2

In the past, I have read a lot of books on World War 2/the Holocaust. There are a lot of good German-originated words in them, but I had to look each one up in Webster's Third. Some words are austausch, Anschluss, and blitzkrieg.  Here are some World War 2 books I recommend, The Diary of a Young Girl, The Hiding Place, Four Perfect Pebbles, Biography of Anne Frank: The Biography, Survivors, and Number the Stars (this was my favorite book when I was a little girl). You will learn a lot of new words from these books,

Here is a list of books on the Holocaust:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1720.Best_Holocaust_Books

Time for more German rules:

The "ch" and "sh" sounds are spelled sch. (examples: seneschal, kitsch, bergschrund) Glitch is an exception to this rule.

The "k" is spelled with a g. (examples: Bundestag, Jugendstil)

The "k" + guttural sounds is spelled lich (examples: geistlich, frohlich). In choir, the director says it is very important to pronounce the ch words with the guttural sounds, or else the Germans will laugh (I don't know if that's true, but the director said it). In songs such as "Stille Nacht" (Silent Night), "O Come, Little Children" (which we have a verse in German: "Ihr Kinderlein Kommet"), "Ade zur Guten Nacht" (Farewell and Goodnight), and "Kling Glockchen" (Ring, Little Bell), there are so many words with the guttural sound.

The "v" sound is spelled with a w. (examples: Weimaraner, leberwurst, weltpolitik)

German Dog Breeds: Did you know that German has several names of dog breeds?

Here are some:
affenpinscher
Doberman
dachshund
Weimaraner

I do not believe that I finished the German section earlier than I expected. There are thousands of more rules to look up. Whenever I can, I will start doing Italian-derived words. If you love food and/or you are a musician, you may recognize a lot of these words.

German Rules - Part 1

I love spelling German words, and I love saying them. My favorite word is Bewusstseinslage, which is German. Did you know that German has an enormous influence on the English language? Did you know when you are saying "gesundheit" after someone sneezes, you are speaking German? My favorite Christmas carols are originally German, but they were translated to English. In fact, German is my favorite language to study for the spelling bee.

If you know your German roots very well, you will have no trouble figuring out a word, unless there is no specific root the word comes from.

Here are some words that have certain roots:

gemeinde - German root meaning "common, general"
gemeinschaft - same as gemeinde's root + German root schaft meaning "ship"
heiligenschein - German root heilig meaning "holy" + German root schein meaning "shine"
nachtmusik - German root nacht meaning "night" + German root musik meaning "music"
caffeol - German root kaffee meaning "coffee" (That may throw you off a bit, but this word also contains the International Scientific Vocabulary root ol meaning "a chemical compound containing hydroxyl").

Let's get some rules in:

German words use k's, ck's, and ch's very often. They tend to avoid c's, except if the word comes from a different language. (examples: glockenspiel, geistlich).

I have been wondering where the "i" came from, but my guess is the "i" after the "e". If my sister makes it nationals next year, I will have to ask him.

The long "e" sound is spelled ie. (examples: vorspiel, kunstlied)

The long "i" sound is spelled ei. (examples: Fahrenheit, gneiss, schwamerei, schalstein)

The "f" sound is spelled with a v. (examples: volkerwanderung, vorlage, leitmotiv)

The schwa is usually spelled with an e. (examples: Bewusstseinslage, gemeinde, pickelhaube)

Those are all the rules I will post today, but I will write on about schwas in German.

If you do not know what a schwa is, here is the definition: "neutral vowel sound, usually an unstressed syllable".

Whenever we learn a German song in choir, the director says it is extremely important to pronounce the schwas correctly. When we say guten (which is German for good), we must say it "goo-tuhn". In Stille Nacht (Silent Night), stille is pronounced (shtee-luh), this also goes for heilige, traute, Knabe, lockigen, and other words. (These words are not in Webster's Third. They are original German words that have never gone into English)
German is a very fun origin, and I will continue writing whenever I can this week!

Words Missed at the 2006 National Spelling Bee by Two Spellers, then Missed in 2010 and 2011 by One Speller/Other Words Used in the Past, but Used Again/Strange Fact

After looking over the 2006, 2010 and 2011 results, I realized that one speller from the 2010-2011 Bee got the words the third and second place spellers missed in 2006, but missed them two different years. Do you know which words those are? The words are icteritious and weltschmerz.

Other words are hukilau and syringadenous. If you realized that all these words were used in later rounds back in 2006, they were used in earlier rounds this year! For example, syringadenous was used in Round 11 in 2006, but used in Round 5 this year. This means that the Bee is getting more difficult! It is probably easier for spellers, because they learn new words all the time and improve on word patterns. Some words, such as hyphaeresis, oeillade, and perciatelli, were words used in 2006 (Rounds 1 and 2), but used in later rounds in 2008 (hyphaeresis) and 2009 (oeillade and perciatelli).
It pays off to study past spelling bees. Some words that have been used in the past, then appeared again are:

hyalithe
periscii
psittacosis
blancmange
cossette
devoir
tiralee
fustanella
noisette
canicular
guerdon
stromuhr
theremin
boudin

Did you know that the French word connoisseur has been the most frequently used word at the National Spelling Bee? Yes, it is. There are so many words that are used over and over again.

I do not have time to write a lot today, because I have camp with my church. I will try to bring my laptop, so I can still write.

Good luck spellers!

Setting Goals Has Great Rewards

Have you ever set a goal? It does not matter how great it is, just as long as it is achievable. It may be as small as finishing your homework before a certain time or trying to run a mile in under ten minutes, or as great as memorizing lines for a play or winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

It is good to make goals, because there are great rewards in the end. Some of my personal goals are to obtain excellent grades, learn music pieces, help spellers to do their best at whatever level they are at, and improve my time in the mile run.

Why should you set goals? It is good to challenge yourself and strive to improve. There is always something that you can do better, and setting goals is a way to that. A goal may seem unattainable, but with perseverance and practice it is possible to succeed.

My dad says, "In order to achieve a goal, you must work with diligence". I need to find time do what I need to do. For example, I practice my flute for an hour, every day. Currently, I am working on Concerto No. 1 in G Major K.313 by Mozart. This piece is extremely long, fast, and challenging, but with practice I can master it. I will have to play this for a Flute Federation in April, so I had to begin a year in advance.

A great achievement I made within the last few months was being promoted to the tour group of my choir. I joined a choir, and I had to work hard to reach the highest level of the International Children's Choir. In order to be promoted, I had to be in the choir for at least two semesters and I had to work very hard. Some members take three semesters or more before being promoted.

Sometimes, we must make sacrifices. You may have to stop doing something else for a while, in order to aim for your goals. Instead of hanging out with friends after homework, I would study ahead, study spelling, practice singing, and the flute and piano, continue writing my books, and do chores.

My history teacher told us, "It is important to stay organized and stay on top of things. That is why you have a planner." My planner is very useful so I know what is due the next class, what I can work on ahead of time, what special events I need to attend, and so much more. I also use it so I can write down what goals I need to obtain and when I can do them.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Never give up! Do not be discouraged, because you did not achieve a goal. After I learned that there was no spelling bee sponsor for my area in 2007-2008, I never gave up. I decided to continue studying and I have never missed a day of studying since 2005. I am still studying for future Bees, such as the AARP National Spelling Bee. After five years of never making it to National Spelling Bee, I realized that there was good that came out of it. I had learned a lot of words, I increased my vocabulary, I learned the setup of the Bee, I learned stage presence, and so much more that I cannot mention them all! You always learn from your mistakes.

Believe you can achieve your goals. Lead with a positive attitude, and always do your best. It is important to dream big, and it does not matter what anybody says, because in the end, that is what matters the most.


Good luck to all of the spellers!

French Rules - Part 3

Even if I have had How to Spell Like a Champ since 2008, I just realized that the French rules take up the most pages of the etymology section.

Like in Latin, French words tend to avoid using the letter k.

Words with the "k" sound is spelled with a que. (examples: roquelaure, claque, cinque)

Words with the "g" sound at the end of the word is spell with a gue. (examples: gigue, fugue, morgue)

Words with the "el" sound at the end of the word can be spelled elle and el . (examples: chandelle, casquetel, nacelle, jumelle, morel)

Words with the schwa + the "l" sound are spelled with el. (examples: bevel, estoppel, enamel)

Words with the "w" + "oz" sound are spelled with oise. (examples: ardoise, bourgeoise, nicoise)

Words with the "n" + "y" sound are spelled gn. (examples: beignet, rognon, espagnole, guignolet)

Words with the "n" + "w" sound are spelled gnoi (examples: baignoire, peignoir)

Words with the schwa + "r" sound are spelled eur (examples: fleuron, siffleur, flaneur)

Words with the "il" sound are spelled ille (examples: coquille, quadrille, espadrille)


Silent Letters

The rules that annoyed me the most were silent letters (other than the long "a" sound and "ahn") . They do not annoy me anymore, but here are some:

Silent T: maillot, ouvert, griot
Silent S: coulis, apropos
Silent G: bersagliere
Silent X: faux, roux, bordereaux
Silent L: email (ay-mI)
Silent P: coup
Silent D: sangfroid

There are a lot more, so look them up.

The schwa + "r" sound is spelled re. such as oeuvre, ogre, and massacre.

Study all the French rules you can study, and you can do well. Remember to study the exceptions, too!

More French Rules/Spelling Bee Club - I Still Need Help!

I am still collecting the French words, but I will add more French rules.

The "et" sound can be spelled ette or et. Helpful Hint: Ette can mean "little one" or "female", while et can mean "small one" and it is masculine. (examples: noisette, heiferette, baronet) Sometimes the word can be pronounced with a schwa, such as rochet and burgonet.

The "ahzh" sound is spelled as age. (examples: maquillage, persiflage, bavardage, vernissage)

The "odd" sound is spelled as ade. (examples: persillade, roulade, boutade)

The "oo" sound can be spelled ou, u, or ieu. Two French members in my choir say that the French should be pronounced almost like ew. (examples: bouffant, fichu, bondieuserie) Helpful Hint: Like in bondieuserie, if you hear the French root dieu, ask this: "Does this contain the French root dieu meaning 'God'?" If it does, spell it, but if it doesn't, probably go with du, but it doesn't hurt to try dieu still. Remember that if the pronouncer says, "I don't see that here", it doesn't necessarily mean you are on the wrong track.

The "air" sound can be spelled aire or air. (examples: legionnaire, debonair)

The "sh" sound can be spelled ch or sh. Helpful Hint: How will you know which one to use, unless you have seen the word (This goes for other French rules, as well)? If the word comes from a different language before entering French, such as Turkish or Hungarian, the spelling will most likely be sh. (examples: chablis, shagreen) Try to look them up.

Remember that there are more spellings for each rule.

Don't French rules seem very annoying? There are thousands of rules and exceptions.

Those are all the French rules I will post today. I will finish up the French section tomorrow, then we'll go to German section. The German rules may take longer than the French rules, because there are a lot of roots that are very helpful.


The spelling bee club planning is still in progress. I still need help and support, so please email me at spellingchamp135@gmail.com. I am working on a schedule, too, and it is a very long process. The club is going to be open to Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Juab, and Wasatch Counties, and any speller who visits the area. Don't worry if you don't live in the area or ever visit, because the sessions will be recorded, and loaded on to this blog!

French Rules/Words

I am very sorry about the French words. Unfortunately, I am still collecting them and the list will not be completed, until about mid-August.

For now, here are some of my favorites:
bertillonage
polatouche
devoir
debonair
decoupage
echappe
echappee
chevet
chevee
ressentiment

Some French tips

The long a sound can be spelled e,ee, ez, et, or ier. (examples: decoupage, suviez, melee, duvet, pompier)

The long e sound can be spelled ee or ie (examples: fricassee, gaminerie)

The ahn sound can be spelled ant, ment, mets, on, emps, in, en, em, or oint and possibly several other ways. (examples: devant, avalement, entremets, frisson, baragouin, malentendu, croquembouche, embonpoint)

The long o sound can be spelled eau, eaux (if it is plural), au, ot, o, or aut. (examples: heaume, Watteaux, gaufrette, escargot, shako*, soubresaut)

*I hope you realized that shako does not start with a c. This word is originally Hungarian, then it entered French, so it starts with s. What Hungarian word was used at the National Spelling Bee this year? Puszta.
What other Hungarian to French words can you name? How about Slavic? (Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, and others)

Those are all the rules I'm going to put up today, but hopefully I will get more in. I was supposed to post the French words before semifinals, but I got too busy.

Good luck to everyone, and continue spelling!

One of My Spelling Bee Lists has about 90% of the Words Used During Semifinals and Finals this Year!

One of my lists I have never made changes to since December 25, 2010, contains a majority of the words used during semifinals and finals this year. After I watched the National Spelling Bee, I was wondering why I knew most of the words. First of all, I thought it was just etymology patterns that ran through my mind. Actually, it was my word list that had a lot of them.

Words that were misspelled will be red

Here are some of them:

caffeol
choralcelo
espadon (I was pretty glad this was on my list, or espadonne would have been my spelling)
devoir
boudin
boutade
haori
mansuetude
andouille
meridienne
rougeot
hexafoos
fissipedal
pallium
limacine
withernam
whirlicote
loure
privatim
solenne
degringolade
volkerwanderung
watteau
entremets
talmouse
seneschal
bondieuserie
cioppino (This word is on several of my lists, because it is on the Nintendo DS game)
rapprochement
zortzico
staffage
gravicembalo
capercaillie
sarangousty
cheongsam (Another word I studied from the DS game as well)
huipil
puszta
solferino
keitloa
zwischenspiel (My cousin's favorite word)
Those five words (the yellow highlighted ones) were used in Round 13.
sorites
empressement
certiorari
rhabdomancer

Again, those were just some of them. These words were just spread all over the list. None of them were by each other. Actually, there were several words used during semifinals and finals that were all by each other.

Here they are in the order I found them:

zanja (Round 15)
naumkeag (Round 17)
cebell (Round 16)
galoubet (Round 17)
Jugendstil (Round 17)
lekane (Round 16)
tersanctus (Round 5)
brisance (Round 5)
hooroosh (Round 18)
sangsue (Round 15)
thalassocracy (Round 7)

I went through the results and list several times, and I have all the words a speller received. They are all highlighted in orange.

The winning word, cymotrichous, is not on the list, but it is on my other lists. Spellers, look for your words!

If I have time tomorrow, I will post French derived words!

Good luck, and continue studying!

Spell with your dream!
Spell with your heart!
Spell with your love!

Warm Weather

Today in Salt Lake, it almost reached 100 degrees. Why am I talking about the weather? I'll be honest, but I do not know. There are several weather words, although.

• anemometer - an instrument to measure the speed or force of the wind
• barometer - instrument that measure air pressure
• blizzard
• climate
• Fahrenheit
• Celsius
• evaporation
• condensation
• precipitation
• contrail - streaks of condensed water vapor created in the air by an airplane or rocket at high altitudes
• drizzle - light rain

The Fourth of July is Nearing/Patriotic Music/Doing Other Things While Spelling

As the Fourth of July approaches, here are Independence Day Words:

• independence
• patriot
• leadership
• fireworks
• freedom
• loyal
• opportunities
• heritage
• history
• kindness
• democracy
• jubilation
• liberation
• republic
• united
• valiance
• sacrifice
• citizenship
• equality
• ebullience
• glory
• heroes

There are just so many Independence Day words, that I cannot post them all. Within the next few days, I will post several words that have to do with patriotism. I will also be posting videos of patriotic songs.

Ronald Reagan's Inauguration (Battle Hymn of the Republic sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir)

Full Version of the Battle Hymn of the Republic



For those who have seen Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular, you may recognize Kristen Hertzenberg who plays Christine Daae. This is her singing the National Anthem (Star Spangled Banner)

You may be wondering why I chose these artists in particular...

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is my favorite choir, even if I am not a Latter Day Saint. My choir has performed with them many times, including the Cultural Olympiad with John Williams around the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake, the Rededication of the Utah Capitol, a performance with Natalie Cole, and so many more that I probably cannot name them.

I chose Kristen Hertzenberg, because she is my favorite U.S. Christine. I saw her in Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular back in 2009. She has such an amazing voice, that I cried! If you haven't seen her perform live, I suggest that you do.

Why am I talking about this? A lot of spellers love music. They sing, play the violin, flute, piano, saxophone,  and so many more instruments! When I listen to music, I can concentrate on homework, then spelling after. I decided to use this, so I could get used to distractions. I also hula hoop, play with Legos, jump rope, and do other things while spelling, although music is the easiest way for me to concentrate. My mind works better when I am doing other things while spelling.
Continue spelling, and good luck!

Words that Bring Back Memories

There were several words used at the Bee this year that brought back good and bad memories. I will also include the words that were mentioned by spellers and Dr. Bailly in their videos, and maybe words that may be used in the future.

Sardoodledom (2007) Dr. Bailly mentioned this word in his video, and I remember Kennyi Aouad cracking up.

Alopecoid (2004) This was also somewhat mentioned in Dr. Bailly's video, and Akshay Buddiga fainted. It brought back bad memories, but Akshay nailed the word! I also don't believe that I had a friend who witnessed that event.

Weltschmerz (2006) When Anja Beth Swoap received this word, I thought she had it. When I heard it, the 2006 National Spelling Bee popped into my mind. Finola Hackett misspelled this word as veltschmerz, and she placed second. Kerry Close had to spell another word, then Ursprache to take the title that year. Unfortunately, Anja misspelled the word as weldschmerz.

Hukilau (2006) This word was on the written test this year, and it was spelled by Kerry Close in 2006. It was not on any of my lists, but I am glad that I watched the Bee that year! In fact, I never heard from the word again, until the written test.

Pappardelle/Rascacio (2007) Although pappardelle was replaced with cucaracha, this word reminded me of the 2007 Champion, Evan O'Dorney. Rascacio was the first word he received during the championship finals, but was used in Round 3 this year. He did not seem to have problems with any word.

Boudin (2003) The word Samir Patel misspelled when he was only nine! The word was misspelled this year as well.
Words that may bring back memories in the future

Secernent (2008) This word was misspelled by five-peat, Matthew Evans, and many people were heartbroken.

Opificer (2008) This word was misspelled by five-peat, Tia Thomas, and she placed third. On every word before, she seemed to know them all. Well, she asked, "Can I have the California pronunciation?" when she received canicular.

Clevis (2007) Who will ever forget this dreadful moment in Round 5, when five-peat, Samir Patel, misspelled this word? It will bring back good and bad memories if this word is ever used again.

Reblochon (2007) When Sarah Harmsworth of Montana knew she misspelled the word, she said, "I'm gonna ding!" I remember the day before, she said, "Are we on TV?"

Fustanella (2010) Tim Ruiter, who tied for second in 2009, was eliminated in Round 4. People were shocked, and it was very unexpected.

Hebdomadally (2009) I do not know if anyone will remember the moment when Nicholas Rushlow said,"heb-what-a-lee?", but it sure made me laugh.

There are so many more words that bring back memories, but it will take me forever to write them! Good luck to all the spellers next year, and remember to do your best!

The 2012 Bee Arriving Quickly!/Busy Summer

As my teachers say, "Due dates are closer than they appear!". I say, 2012 National Spelling Bee will be here anytime soon! Even if the Bee is over 300 days away, it will be here before you know it! I know that there are some spellers who have not stopped studying since they first competed! Even if I never made it to nationals, I studied every day since 2005, and it was never tiring to learn new words! In fact, my skills improved every year! I have not stopped studying, and will never stop learning new words. Even champions still like to learn new words!

I still hope the Bee can be extended throughout high school! I will still miss it, but my spelling spirit is not gone, and will hopefully never go away! I want to coach spellers still, and hopefully finish the spelling bee club planning by the end of the summer. It is so much harder than I thought it would be. You really need to organize, set dates, plan activities, find a good video camera, get materials prepared, and find time!

Of course, the summer is busy. I do not have a lot of free time, because of the Spelling Bee Club, Bible Bee, and Geometry classes. After my Geometry classes, my family is going to Southern California to go to Seaworld, San Diego Zoo, and Legoland. This is going to be busy, but I hope to have time do my other activities, too! I hope you all have a great summer!

Tips for when you are on stage

• When you get an obscure word that you do not know, and you asked for all the information you could ask for, do not freak out.
• If you think the bell will ring on you, it will most likely do so.
• Concentrate on your word, and use what you know to figure it out.
• Always ask, listen, and think.
• Do not mind all the media, but make sure you act professional.
• Do your best.

Continue spelling, and good luck to every single speller competing next year!

Words in Music

At the Bee, there are several music terms. If you play an instrument, you may recognize a lot of the terms. Playing the flute, violin, piano, and singing, I have learned a lot of new words.

In Suzuki Flute School Volume 5, the 2005 National Spelling Bee winning word is in that book. Appoggiatura is the word, but it was unfortunately misspelled as appogiatura (it's spelled correctly in Volume 6). I have also learned siciliano, forzato, scherzo, gavotte, concerto, ecossaise, passacaglia, and a lot more terms.

Words are all around us, not just music. Maybe your next spelling bee word will be the name of a street you went through, or a song that you learned in music lessons. It might be one of the words from your language class. Who knows what it will be? Be prepared no matter what!

Do you have any interesting words to share from books, music, or anywhere else? Comment below!

Good luck and continue spelling!

Who is Studying For the 2012 National Spelling Bee?

Since the 2011 National Spelling Bee is over, is there anyone who has started studying for next year? Even if I am not competing, I am continuing my streak of not missing a day of studying, which began in 2005. I say that even if you are coaching someone else, you are still studying. I probably am going to keep that streak, until the end of eleventh grade, or maybe even twelfth grade.

Have any of you spellers never miss a day of studying since you started competing? I know there are several who have, and even started studying before they started competing!

If you are too old to compete now, and you competed before, think about all the memories you had about the Bee. I hope that the Bee will be extended throughout high school. So many spellers miss it so much, but I hope my sister makes it next year! For all the spellers who aspire to make it to nationals, and/or really want to go back, I hope you all make it!

Next year, we hope to see two five-peats: Nicholas Rushlow and Rahul Malayappan. They were both four-peats this year. I was upset that Rahul and another four-peat, Julianna Canabal-Rodriguez, did not advance to semifinals this year. Last year, Rahul tied for 33rd, while Julianna tied for ninth.

Besides Nicholas and Rahul, there are a lot of other spellers going for the championship next year, such as Arvind Mahankali, Sriram Hathwar, Dhivya Murugan, Veronica Penny, Nabeel Rahman, and Samuel Estep. If Arvind returns next year, he will be the highest returning finisher as a seventh grader! That hasn't happened since 2005-2006 (Samir Patel).

Did you know that Kerry Close (2006) is the only five-peat to win nationals? Samir Patel would have been second, he was eliminated in Round 5 in 2007. In 2008, Matthew Evans and Tia Thomas were the five-peats. Tia placed third, and Matthew tied for 17th. If Nicholas Rushlow or Rahul Malayappan win next year, one of those will be the second five-peat to win.

Good luck, and continue studying!

Happy Father's Day! (Spellers whose Dads are Their Coaches, say Thank You to Them!)

Since today is Father's Day, here are some words for today!

pa
papa
pappy
begetter
forebearer
love

Those words may seem very simple, but they mean a lot!

My dad is my spelling bee coach, and I thank him for helping me!

Knowing Languages Pays Off

Many spellers at the National Spelling Bee speak other languages besides English. They speak French, German, Tagalog, Spanish, Romanian, Russian, Italian, and a lot other languages. I know French, German, Spanish, although I am only conversational in all of them. I only know how to say eat and light in Tagalog. Perhaps in a few years, I will be fluent in at least one of them.

I will admit that I used to highly dislike French. The rules were annoying to me. The long "A" sound can be spelled with é, ée, et, ez, er, and probably many other ways. At least that one did not annoy me as much as the long "O" sound. Those words can be spelled with ot, eau, eaux, maybe just o, and a lot of different ways as well. When it comes to the long "O" words, and the word is a singular noun, ot and eau are in my mind. Take the word rougeot for example. The word is a singular noun, but it can be misspelled as rougeau.
At least French is not really confusing to me anymore.

I have mentioned this several times, but a speller named Anna-Marie Sprenger knows so many languages. She only studied the Spell It! booklet one night before the Bee. Since she knows languages so well, she used roots she knew from each origin. This was her first year in the Bee, too, and I was very impressed. She is fluent in French and Romanian, and if she was given a Romanian word, she most likely would have spelled it correctly. Romanian is a rare language used in the Bee.

If there are language classes at your school, take at least one of them. It may pay off!

Spelling Bee Champ Competed in National History Day

Someone, named Alison Armentrout, does digital public affairs at Edelman, a communications firm in Washington D.C., where one of her clients is with National History Day (NHD), told me to share a video about  former speller, Tony Incorvati of Ohio. NHD is a year-long academic program focused on grades 6-12 that works with both students and teachers to improve the teaching and learning of history. Tony competed in the 2008, 2009, and 2011 National Spelling Bees.
Tony said the national competitions, such as the National History Day competition, have widened his horizons. "These have gotten me accustomed to a wider level of competition and helped me make friends outside my school," Tony said.
To learn more about this contest, click on the link:
http://nationalhistoryday.org/

To view the video interview with Tony Incorvati, please click on the link:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN1bEEivMwI

Tony is also one of the spellers who encouraged me to continue on in the Bee. Thank you so much to you and Nicholas Rushlow!
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wunderkind/2151/

Utah at the National Spelling Bee

There were four Utahns who made it to the National Spelling Bee. They all did well, and this is the best Utah has done, ever. I do not count 2001, because there was no written test then. Anna-Marie Sprenger of Provo, Utah, advanced to semifinals, but was unfortunately eliminated in Round 5 after misspelling privatim as privatum. All the Utahns impressed me this year, even if Matthew Perry misspelled keest as kiest. Even if I knew the word, I thought Matthew took a pretty good guess.

I was upset that Vismaya Kharkar did not make it to semifinals. This year, she did amazing at the Salt Lake Valley Spelling Bee, but it was hard to make it to semifinals this year. Spellers had to get a minimum of 29 points, unlike last year when spellers could have a minimum of 27 or 28 points. Nine more could have made it to semifinals if the minimum was lowered. In 2007, spellers needed to spell at least 18 words, correctly on the written test.

I though Jared Ward did amazing, too. He would take his time to think about the word, while he was up at the microphone. I had a feeling that he knew Ulyssean and echolalia, but he wanted to make sure that he had the right letters. When he was at the microphone, he reminded me of Veronica Penny. Veronica really takes all the time she needs at the microphone.

Back to Vismaya. When I heard maillot, I knew she had it! That word is in How to Spell Like a Champ, and she told me that she has the book.

Anna-Marie was one of the spellers who was impressive to watch. When she heard persillade and zucchini, she knew the etymologies right away. She did not hesitate on any word at all. During semifinals, she would ask for all the information, then say, "I think I got this!". She was a quick thinker, and never had the clock run low on her. If she was thrown a lot French, German, Romanian, and Spanish words, she would have probably won. Anna-Marie, you really showed what Utah can do at the National Spelling Bee! I wish you had a few more years of eligibility!

I was not just proud of Utah this year, but all the spellers. They were really focused this year, unlike last year, when a lot of words from Spell It! were misspelled. To me, the words seem to get easier every year. This year, no speller seemed nervous. Perhaps there were some, but it did not show.

I am proud of all the millions of spellers every year, who try to aim for the Scripps National Spelling Bee title. This is the longest-running educational program! I hope the Bee is extended throughout high school, because I want more students to compete. It hurts that the Bee is only until eighth grade. Good to every speller to every speller who will be competing in the future. Treasure every moment of the Bee!

Spelling Bee Studies

Spelling Bee studies are going great! I am still studying no matter what, because I love words and they will stay with me my whole life. I do not know how life would be like if I had never become interested in the spelling bee. My sister has been studying, too, and whenever she studies the Scripps Bee DS Game, she is hooked for hours. She said that by the end of the summer she hopes to be on the Ultimate level, which is the level with words at nationals. Right now she is on the Champion level.

If you win the National Spelling Bee, all the time you used to study was worth it all. It does not matter how long you have studied, even if you studied for six straight years. If you do not win ever, think of everything you did every year at the Bee. When I misspelled my final word at the spelling bee, I saw memories of the Bee and all my friends who would be disappointed. If the spelling bee gets extended throughout high school, I will continue studying. If I had made it to nationals from 2007-2011, leaving friends would probably be the hardest part of the Bee.

I am grateful that the Bee is open to the public now. So much has changed this year, that I thought it was magical. I badly want my sister to make it to nationals next year! I have seen so many photos of the Gaylord National Hotel, and they are all gorgeous.

Good luck to all the spellers, in advance! I will really miss the Bee, even if I have said this over a hundred times. I spent so many years of my life preparing for the spelling bee.

Busy Life

I guess I underestimated how busy summer will be. Today, I began Geometry for high school credit. Yesterday, I continued my planning for the spelling bee club. Right now, it is going well, so if you want to help, please email me. spellingchamp135@gmail.com.

I also have the Bible Bee to work with, which is way difficult, because you have to recite the verses word for word. During the semifinals and finals, you are not allowed to restart, but during preliminaries, you are allowed to. In my opinion, the National Bible Bee is stricter than the National Spelling Bee. I have found the National Geographic Bee and the National Bible Bee harder than the National Spelling Bee and Mathcounts.

A new activity was added to my schedule after I learned that I was promoted to the touring level of choir. On Saturday, my choir had to do a recording. It was so much fun, and very tiring after a while. Whenever we had a break I studied some spelling.

I hope to put up a few spelling lists up soon!

Spelling Bee Poems

I wrote a few spelling bee poems, and I am planning to write more.

Figuring out the Word

I hear a very obscure word.

I ask for the definition, language of origin,

alternate pronunciations, and other information.

I started to think about this esoteric word.

It is not in the Consolidated Word List.

It is not in my Hexco products.

It is not on my wall of words.

There is nothing I can 

recall from my note cards.

It is not in any books I have read.

It is not in any of my twenty-five binders.

The clock continued winding down.

I asked for information again.

The clock was soon at thirty seconds. 

It was all on me now.

I slowly spelled the word, 

Judge Mary Brooks rang the bell.

Dr. Jacques Bailly gave me the correct spelling.

I said, "Thanks!", walked off the stage, and 

was led to the Comfort Room.

The Defining Moment

A fellow speller just walked backed to his seat

after misspelling his word.

I have two more words to spell.

If I spell them both correctly,

I will be the champion.

I began walking to the microphone, 

and listened to my word.

I then asked for the information,

and I knew it.

My hand and finger are trembling

while spelling the word.

Now I am moving onto the final round.

I received my word.

This cannot be the word 

I learned in History!

When I heard the definition and origin,

my heart began to pump quickly, 

that I almost started to jump, and scream 

the letters out, like the 1997 champion,

Rebecca Sealfon.

I smiled and slowly spelled the word.

When Judge Mary Brooks said,

"You are the champion!"

tears came out of my eyes, 

and the audience stood up, clapped,

screamed, and cried.

My family embraced me, then I was

given the trophy.

This is a moment I will never forget.

I have never shared these poems to anyone outside my family (this includes relatives). These poems show how I would feel in the spelling bee. I wrote these poems before the 2010-2011 spelling bee season began. If you can give me more ideas, I would love to write about them, too.

By the way, I will be posting Word of the Day again, when the 2011-2012 school year begins. Continue spelling this summer. If you want to win, study when you have time. If you find yourself distracted by the television, computer, Ipod, and other electronics, turn them off and study! It is okay if you are studying from the computer, Ipod, or other electronics. Good luck to everyone competing next year and the next years! 

Ecrire avec Votre Rêve! Ecrire avec Votre Coeur! Ecrire avec Votre Amour!

If you do not get what the title means, it says, "Spell with your dream! Spell with your heart! Spell with your love!" I do not know if my French is accurate, but it is the best I can do. I hope you continue doing that, and never give up. As long as you persevere, you will do amazing!

Now that the 2011 National Spelling Bee is over, it is time to continue studying for the 2012 National Spelling Bee. I have not taken a break since 2005. I thought my consecutive studying led back only to 2009, but I checked old calendars, which had marks for each day I studied. My streak is still going! April 12, 2005 to whenever a day when the spelling bee will pass. I do not think spelling will pass for me, because I still want to study with other spellers.

I also count choir as studying for the spelling bee as well, because we learn a lot of word patterns, along with their etymology as well.

Always do your best. Do not misspell a word, because you do not really care if you win. Then again, I do not think any competitive speller wants to misspell. Think of the word patterns in your head.

Do not compete against each other. As 2009 National Spelling Bee Champion, Kavya Shivashankar once said, "Instead of competing against each other, I compete against the dictionary." When I competed, I never cared about my competition. I cared about them, because I wanted them to spell their words correctly. We were never like, "I'm against you, so I have to hate you." It was more of, "Good luck, and do your best, no matter what the outcome is."

I focus on my motto always. I say it before, during, and after every competition.

Remember to make a schedule for your studying. I doesn't matter how long you study, or how many words you know. What matters is figuring out words when you are in the contest.

Always be glad with your placement. Always set goals and dreams.

Spelling Bee Club/Choir Summer Camp/Find all the Words in the Song which are in Webster's Third

As many people may ask me, you're still studying? Of course! There is no reason to stop learning about words! In fact, I still need it for the spelling bee club I'm planning! By the way, if you are not from Salt Lake, Davis, Juab, Utah, or Wasatch Counties in Utah, each session will be filmed, and you can study from them. Spellers from Utah in the counties mentioned, you can watch the videos, too if you cannot make it to a session. Other spellers around the nation and world are welcome as well. Email me at spellingchamp135@gmail.com.

Who is starting the studying now for the 2012 National Spelling Bee in my family? My cousin, who lives in Denver, Colorado and my sister! They are both outstanding spellers! They are the first official members of my club. Just last night, my sister just started to study with the Scripps Bee Game on the Nintendo D.S. She was hooked onto it for nearly two hours.

I am ready to begin my spelling bee club whenever it is ready. I am going to be slow with updates at first, but I will pick up the pace. I will try to make a website, but I confess that I am not good with computers. I will post the videos on the blog, if I cannot make a website. If you want to know about how to do something, post a comment, and I will make a non-session video.

Tips will not just be about spelling, but what to do, and what not to do when you are on stage. Here are some:

• Do not freak out! Stay relaxed. 
• When you are waiting for your word, make sure you are not messing around, biting your nails, or any other bad habit. 
• While you are spelling, ask for the information you need. Do not ask for unnecessary information, or the audience will smell your show-off behavior, and find it annoying. Plus, you will waste your precious time. Two minutes and thirty seconds is plenty of time.

Sometimes I like to go somewhat off subject. You know how there are Suzuki Music camps all over the world? The camp I am talking to you about is a choir camp. This year was very special, because we had a day with the Drakensberg Boys Choir from South Africa. We learned Zulu songs, which made me think, has there ever been a Zulu word used at the National Spelling Bee? Some of the songs the boys sang were Afrikaans, and I am pretty sure those words have been used at the Bee. Here are some:

• muishond
• blouwildebeesoog
• wildebeest
• hartebeest

I enjoy trying to relate the National Spelling Bee to other things. I closely relate it to choir, except my choir is not a contest, until we go to the World Choir Games or another contest.

Find all the words in the song which are in Webster's Third. I will help with the first words, and they will be bolded.

Le Ciel a Visite la Terre

Le ciel a visité la terre,

Mon bien-aimé repose en moi

Du saint amour c'est le mystère!

Ô mon âme adore et tais-toi!

Amour que je ne puis comprendre,

Jésus habite dans mon coeur!

Jusques là vous pouvez descendre,

Humilité de mon sauveur!

Le ciel a visité la terre,

Mon bien-aimé repose en moi

Du saint amour c'est le mystère!

Ô mon âme adore et tais-toi!

Vous savez bien que je vous aime,

Moi, qui par vous fut tant aimé!

Que tout autre amour que vous même

Par votre feu soit consumé!

Le ciel a visité la terre,

Mon bien-aimé repose en moi

Du saint amour c'est le mystère!

Ô mon âme adore et tais-toi!

À votre chair mon âme unie

De vos élus ressent la paix

Divin Jésus, sainte harmonie,

Venez en mon coeur à jamais!

Le ciel a visité la terre,

Mon bien-aimé repose en moi

Du saint amour c'est le mystère!

Ô mon âme adore et tais-toi!

Good luck, and continue spelling! Email me if you have a question, or want a post about any spelling bee topic! spellingchamp135@gmail.com.