Welcome to Spell It!, the Scripps National Spelling Bee study site for college spelling champions created in cooperation with Merriam-Webster.Spell It! focuses on about 1150 words, divided into sections by language of origin. Studying language of origin will enable you to learn and remember several important rules, tips, and guidelines for successfully spelling …
Latin (Latin: lingua latīna, IPA: [ˈlɪŋɡʷa laˈtiːna]) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages.The Latin alphabet is derived from the Etruscan and Greek alphabets, and ultimately from the Phoenician alphabet.. Latin was originally spoken in Latium, in the Italian Peninsula. Through the power of the Roman …
Words from Latin. No language has been more influential in the development of English than Latin. There are two reasons for this. First, when the French conquered England in 1066, their language was very similar to Latin, and French remained England’s official language for 200 years.
As spellers from across the country and around the globe gather to take part in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, let’s try to settle a basic question: Where does the bee in “spelling bee” come from? Bee is derived from the Old English bēn meaning “a prayer, a favor.” By the late eighteenth century, bee had become commonly associated with the …
In the early 18th century, English spelling was inconsistent. These differences became noticeable after the publishing of influential dictionaries.Today’s British English spellings mostly follow Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), while many American English spellings follow Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language (“ADEL”, “Webster’s Dictionary…
Have you had enough (or enuf) trouble spelling to make you want to scream (or skreem?) You are not alone. Since the 17th century, scholars have been protesting the irregularities that occur in English spelling. Reform movements can boast such iconic English-speaking figures Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, and Theodore …
The dictionary-approved spelling for the ring-shaped cake made of dough and fried in fat is doughnut. The shortened donut has been around since the late 1800s, but it wasn’t popularized until the late 20th century, when the successful American doughnut chain Dunkin’ Donuts made it ubiquitous
Spelling is defined as the proper way to write a word, using the correct order of letters.
grammar Grammar refers to the way words are used, classified, and structured together to form coherent written or spoken communication. Continue reading gram·mar (grăm′ər) n. 1. a. The study of how words and their component parts combine to form sentences. b. The study of structural relationships in language or in a language, sometimes including
This author was an experienced Writing Road to Reading teacher with an extensive background in Latin and Greek. Learning Latin and Greek roots gives students a firm foundation in English vocabulary and, very often, in spelling patterns.