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2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee Primetime Finals Words Analysis

2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee Primetime Finals Words Analysis

It was an exciting Bee! Congratulations to the 2018 National Spelling Bee Champion Karthik Nemmani and runner-up Naysa Modi, who are both SpellPundit students.

This year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee finals finished with 60 words. Every one of these words is in SpellPundit Spelling Modules Levels 1 through 4 or the New Online Words module (please refer to https://test.spellpundit.net/spellshakti/how-to-spelling/ for detailed descriptions about all the different SpellPundit modules).


Many of the words in the final rounds of the spelling bee are in the SpellPundit Level 3 Spelling module. A few examples are:

Cabalassou: a large armadillo

Paillasson: coarsely woven natural or synthetic straw used for hats

Bewusstseinslage: a state of consciousness or a feeling devoid of sensory components

Shamir: a very hard precious stone believed to have been used in building Solomon’s temple

Gelinotte: a European woodland grouse related to the American ruffed grouse

Bundestag: an assembly of representatives of a federation


The following are word asked in the National Spelling Bee finals that are in the SpellPundit New Online Words Module:

Mnemosyne: the Greek goddess of memory and mother of the Muses by Zeus

Loratadine: a long-acting, nonsedating antihistamine drug taken orally to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria

Pareidolia:  the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful, image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern

Ankyloglossia: limited normal movement of the tongue chiefly due to an abnormally shortened frenulum :  tongue-tie


There were a few homonyms (such as aalii and telyn) asked at this year’s Bee, which are in the new SpellPundit Homonyms module.


There were a few words based on roots, which are found in the SpellPundit Roots Modules:

Succiniferous: bearing amber

succin- (amber) + -iferous (bearing or producing or yielding)

Lophophytosis: a contagious skin disease found in birds that is caused by a fungus occurring in man on hairy surfaces that become covered with yellowish crusts

lopho- (crest, tuft, or comb) + phyt- (plant) + -osis (abnormal or diseased condition)

Ecchymosis: the escape of blood into the tissues from ruptured blood vessels

ec- (out) + chym- (juice) + -osis (abnormal or diseased condition)

Pseudepigrapha: spurious words purporting to emanate from biblical characters

pseud- (false) + epi- (upon) + graph (to write)


Overall, there was an interesting mix of words asked at this year’s National Spelling Bee. SpellPundit’s modules can help you learn all the words you need to know to become a primetime finalist, and even bring home the trophy!

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