Q.
Year after year, we get a chance to marvel at the wunderkinds who hammer out the spelling of words most of us have never heard. Yttriferous? Devastavit? What on earth do these words mean?

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A.

We can start with 12 of the most difficult category of words – the ‘Three Bee’ words – from the 2022 Scripps Spelling Bee Words of the Champions list.

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allochroous
Changing colour

asterion
Reach behind your ear. This is the place where the occipital, parietal, and temporal bones come together.

balbriggan
A cotton knit fabric used for underpants or tights.
When capitalized, a coastal town in Ireland.

devastavit
The wasting of funds in a deceased person’s estate by the executor or person in charge of dispensing the assets.

dubitonte
Harbouring doubts. In legal contexts: when a judge voices their skepticism about a legal decision but does not actively oppose it.

Llullaillaco
A 22,100 foot volcano on the border of Argentina and Chile.

porwigle
A tadpole

ravigote
A green sauce that likely contains spinach, vinegar, and a blend of herbs.

unwonted
Be fooled not. This word means unusual; it’s something we’re not used to seeing.

xyloglyphy
Creating artworks by carving into wood

yttriferous
This contains yttrium – a silver metal, atomic #39.

zugzwang
You have to make a move in chess, but all of your options are bad.

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Header Art: Allison Saeng