NATIONAL HARBOR, MD – MAY 29: Caroline Kovacs, 10, of Hoboken, NJ concentrates as she spells a word during the Scripps National Spelling Bee at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on Wednesday May 29, 2019 in National Harbor, MD. Caroline missed the spelling of the word. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Think you could hold your own among the 562 spellers at this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee?
Below is a list of the final five words that knocked out spellers last year before 14-year-old Karthik Nemmani, of McKinney, Texas, was crowned champion. Hear the word, how it’s used in a sentence and see its origin and definition.
Good luck playing along as the 2019 spelling bee finals conclude in National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
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Haven’t been totally demolished? Here are a handful more knockout words that have booted spelling competitors over the last decade, as provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s office.
