To make the oral finals at the 2010 Colorado State Spelling Bee,
a student had to spell 41 or more of these words correctly.
*1. spectrum (SPEK-truhm) the colors of the rainbow
*2. alcove (AL-kohv) a recessed section of a room
*3. mathematics (math-uh-MAD-iks) the science dealing with quantities and
forms and their relationships by use of numbers and symbols
*4. democracy (duh-MAWK-ruh-see) government by the people
*5. alcohol (AL-kuh-hawl) a colorless, volatile, pungent liquid
*6. protagonist (proh-TAG-uh-nist) the main character in a drama or novel
*7. dynamic (dy-NAM-ik) energetic; vigorous
*8. benefactor (BEN-uh-fak-tuhr) one who has given financial help
*9. scenario (suh-NER-ee-oh) an outline of a play; a script for a movie
*10. ridiculous (ruh-DIK-yuh-luhs) absurd
*11. eureka (yuh-REE-kuh) "I have found it!"
*12. ostentatious (aw-stuhn-TAY-shuhs) showy; pretentious
*13. mistletoe (MIS-uhl-toh) a parasitic evergreen plant with poisonous berries
*14. erudite (ER-yoo-dyt) learned; scholarly
*15. nadir (NAY-duhr) the lowest point
*16. genre (ZHAWN-ruh) a category of artistic or literary composition
*17. paradigm (PER-uh-dym) a very clear or useful example
*18. ameliorate (uh-MEEL-yuh-rayt) to improve something; to become better
*19. facetious (fuh-SEE-shuhs) joking inappropriately
*20. capricious (kuh-PRISH-uhs) unpredicitable in attitude
*21. hypocrisy (hi-PAWK-ruh-see) pretending to believe something when
in fact one does not
*22. mesmerize (MEZ-muhr-yz) to hypnotize; to spellbind
*23. narcissistic (nawr-suh-SIS-tik) having an exaggerated opinion of oneself
*24. dossier (DAW-see-ay) a collection of documents about some matter
*25. chauvinism (SHOH-vuhn-iz-uhm) an unfair attitude of superiority over a group
26. barbarous (BAWR-buhr-uhs) uncivilized; primitive
*27. jalapeno (hal-uh-PAYN-yoh) a Mexican pepper
28. soothsayer (SOOTH-say-uhr) one who professes to predict the future
29. lexicon (LEKS-uh-kawn) a dictionary; a special vocabulary
30. classicist (KLAS-uh-sist) one who adheres to the ascetic principles
of ancient Greece and Rome
31. calumny (KAL-uhm-nee) a false and malicious statement; slander
32. cuisine (kwi-ZEEN) a style of cooking or preparing food
33. cyanide (SY-uh-nyd) a white crystaline compound that is extremely poisonous
34. divergent (dy-VUHR-juhnt) to move in different directions; to branch off
35. regurgitant (ruh-GUHRJ-uh-tuhnt) throwing or flowing back
36. delectable (duh-LEK-tuh-buhl) tasty; delightful
37. scumble (SKUM-buhl) to soften the lines or coloring of a picture
38. olivine (AWL-uh-veen) a light yellowish-green color; a mineral
39. geniculate (juh-NIK-yuh-luht) bent abrubtly at an angle (like a bent knee)
40. frippery (FRIP-uh-ree) a showy nonessential article of clothing
41. panopticon (pan-AWP-tuh-kawn) a combination telescope and microscope
42. delphinium (del-FIN-ee-uhm) a tall plant bearing spikes of flowers
43. singspiel (SING-speel) an 18th century German comic opera
44. apotheosis (uh-PAWTH-ee-oh-suhs) the elevation of a human to the
rank of a god
45. corsair (KOHR-ser) a pirate or pirate ship
46. chilblain (CHIL-blayn) a painful swelling or sore caused by exposure to cold
47. holophrastic (hawl-uh-FRAS-tik) expressing a complex of ideas in a single word
48. obscurantism (awb-SKYUHR-uhn-tiz-uhm) a policy of withholding knowledge
from the general public
49. neolalia (nee-oh-LAY-lee-uh) a speech especially by a psychotic that includes
words that are new and meaningless to the hearer
50. opinicus (oh-PIN-uh-kuhs) a fabulous beast like a griffon but with a short tail
* taken from 2010 on-line Spell It!
