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Continue reading →: Insider’s Guide to the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee – Rounds 2 and 3
Hello everyone! Round 2 of the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee commenced this morning. The round started with 291 spellers and ended with 259 spellers. A total of 32 spellers missed their words in this round and were eliminated from the competition. In Round 3, 71 spellers incorrectly spelled their…
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Continue reading →: Insider’s Guide to the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee – Round 1
Round 1 of the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee commenced today with the Preliminaries Written Test. The test contained 12 spelling words worth one point each and 12 vocabulary words also worth one point each. There were an additional two vocabulary words worth 3 points each – one of these…
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Continue reading →: Insider’s Guide to the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee – Nationals Park and Opening Ceremony
Today spellers and their families were treated to a Memorial Day barbecue at Nationals Park, home to the Washington Nationals baseball team and it was quite a thrilling experience! We enjoyed face painting, batting cages, crafts, and inflatables and got a chance to interact with many other families. The Nationals…
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Continue reading →: Insider’s Guide to the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee – The Journey Begins
The spellers competing in the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee have all arrived in Washington D.C.! Bee Week officially kicked off today with a Spellebrity Welcome in which spellers received their “swag bags” and a special gift from Kindle, the presenting sponsor of the Bee. This was my first opportunity…
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Continue reading →: Insider’s Guide to the 2017 Scripps National Spelling BeeI am excited to announce that I will be writing another Insider’s Guide to the Scripps National Spelling Bee! In March, I won the regional bee sponsored by the Louisville Spelling Bee Collaborative to qualify for the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee. I am looking forward to returning to Washington…
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Continue reading →: Terms of Venery (ve-nə-rē)
Hello everyone! This is an unusual post as it is not about the exploration of one word but of a group of terms that many of us use everyday. Collective nouns are words that are used to describe a collection of people, animals, or things. You are likely familiar with…
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Continue reading →: -tara (tarə)
Hello everyone! As I study for the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee, there are certain words that naturally catch my attention. I am particularly intrigued by words that contain my name. I didn’t realize that tara could be found in so many words originating from different languages. Tarantism (tarən‧ˌtizəm) is…
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Continue reading →: Happy 3rd Blogiversary to me!I can’t believe that I’ve been blogging for three years! A big thank you to all of my blog followers for your support, likes, and comments. As you can see, I have set some lofty goals for this following year. If you know anyone who loves etymology, please refer them…
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Continue reading →: cynophilist (sī-näfələ̇st)
Happy Valentine’s Day! We have a new love in our lives and I have been very excited to write this post for many months. In September of 2016, we brought home a 12-week-old Tibetan Spaniel puppy. We named her Coco Cuddles, and she is adorable, sweet, and cuddly. Tibetan Spaniels…
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Continue reading →: demiguise (demē-gīz)A Demiguise is a peaceful beast, according to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander. They are found in the Far East, however, it is difficult to spot them because of their ability to make themselves invisible when they feel threatened. Since they are also able to…
Hello,
I’m Tara!
My name is Tara and I am a recent graduate of Duke University, with dual degrees in cultural anthropology and political science, and a minor in linguistics. Twelve years ago, I started this blog to share my love of words with others and teach people about the intricacies of etymology and words across our beloved English language!
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