Words and Spelling Tips from 2013 Spell It!

Words from latin: Study Words

InanerelevantimpetuousambivalentdejectedpostmortemincriminateaccessplausibleInterrupt [1)all~erationrefugeeamicablelucid [2JpercolatemeticulousfastidioustrajectoryanimosityImplementambiguitycurriculumomnivorousbellicoseelectoralcrescent [3Jobsequioustransectprecipicesusceptiblecondolences [4]

benefactorcandidatebugleformidablecanarysubterfugeabdicatelunaticcarnivore (5)gregariousostentatiousprosaic (6)herbivoreprodigalmagnanimousbenevolentmercurialsimilejovialridiculousinnateobstinatediscernmediocreinsidiousruptureprecipitateenudltecolloquialintractableexuberant [71

ingeniousretrospectiveominousvulnerableomnipotentconsensusdisciplinealleViatespectrumprescriptioncapitulationincredulousaffinitynecessaryadjacentdissectconjectureimperativepredicatecorporalpatinaCapricornparticipantlibrarycognitionprimalfilamentunityventilateaquaticIgneous

reptileprovidencemessagefoliatenasaloperarenovatecredentialstemporalcaninemeasurecrediblefemininijyconfidencetriumviratepopularijydiaryhumblevivisectionslnctprosecutecontiguousductilegradientcurrentperfidyfidelityincorruptible

Words from Latin: Challenge Words

soliloquyaccommodatepernicIous [8Jefficacyvisceralexacerbate

indigenousbelligerentvernacularinfinitesimalrecalcitrantinnocuous

precociousamelioratecommensuratefacetiousprerogativeubiquitous

egregiousaggregatetertiarycorpuscleperennial

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Words from Latin: Spelling Tips•

1. One of the hardest things to remember about words from Latin ISwhether an intemal consonant (like rrin interrupt) is doubled. To reinforce your memory of the correct spelling, try to remember related wordsall together (hke interrupt along with interruption or necessary along wllh necessity).

2. The lOis ound (as In ooze) is nearly always spelled with u in words from Latin. It typically follows a Idl,~I, ~I,I rl. or lsI sound. After other consonants. this sound normally becomes lyOl (as in bugle, subterfuge,ambiguity, and prosecute and In one pronunciation of refugee).

3. Beware of words like crescent in which the isis ound is spelled with sc in words from Latin. Otherexamples Include visceral, discern. dlsclplme, susceplJble, and corpuscle.

4. When you hear within a word from Latin the lsI sound followed by any of the sounds of e (long, short,or schwa), there's a possibility that the lsI sound is spelled with c as in exacerbate, access, adjacent,condolences, facetIOus, and necessary

5.T he letter i is a vowel often used to connect two Latin word elements. If the connecting vowel sound ISa schwa (leI) and you must guess at the spelling of this sound, the letter, might be a good guess SeecarnIVore and herbivore Other examples Include non-study-Iist words that end in iform such as oviformand pediform

6.T he letter k rarely appears In words from Latin, and ItSsound ISnearly always represented by c as Incanary. prosaic, canine, mediocre, Capricorn, cognition, ductIJe.incorruptible, vernacular, innocuous, andmany other words on the list

7.1 he letter x often gets the pronunciation Igzl in words from Latin (as in exacerbate and exuberant)

8T he combination ious ends many adjectives of Latin ongin. When the consonant that precedes ious is cor t, the sound of the final syllable is Ishaslas in facetious, ostentatious, pernicious. and precocious. It ISimportant to keep in mind that several adjectives from Latin ending with thiS sound end in eous ratherthan ious. In such instances, the definitions of the words usually contain phrases such as "consisting of,""resembling," or "haVing the characteristic of" Examples include non-study-hst words herbaceous,cetaceous, and Jilaceous.

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Words from Arabic: Study Words

azureIslamicsultanartichokemummy [1]tarragonadobemohairboraxtalcarsenallemontunaadmiralhazardapricotcarminemonsoonaveragegazelle [2)cnmson

orangesequInmacramealgebraguitarnabobgiraffemattresselixirsaffroncellonalbatross [3Jzerosafari [4Jmagazinezenitha~alfaimammosquealceholtariff

lilacalcovemassagehenna [5]alchemysugartajmahalkhanghoulChallenge WordsmuslincamphoralgorithmminarettamanndcarafeJulepmarzipannenupharalcazar

tahiniQatanalkaliserendlprtynadirdouanefennechafizazimuthbezoarhalalalimSwahiliserdabmihrabsalaammukhtarkhorloggaradittacoffie

Words from Arabic: Spelling Tips

1. Double consonants are often seen in words from Arabic. More often than not. they occur in themiddle of a word as In mummy, cotton, henna, foggara, coff/e, tarragon, and several other wordson the list Their appearance at the end of a word (as in albatross and tariff) is usually because ofthe spelling cenventlons of English or some other language that the word passed through to gethere,

2, A typical word from Arabic has three censonant sounds, with or without vowels between themGazelle, safari, talc, carafe, mahal, tahlnl, alkali, hafiz, and salaam are typical examples,

3, Note how many words on tIlis list begin wrth al ThiS spelling can be traced to the definitearticle al ("the") in ArabiC, which sometimes gets borrowed along with a word, Most at the time thespelling is al in English, but note elln elixir,

4, A long e sound (leI) at the end at a word from Arabic is often spelled with I as in safan andseveral other words on tile list but may also be spelled with y as In mummy and alchemy,

5 The schwa sound (Ial) at the end of a word from Arab,c is usually spelled with a as In henna,tuna, algebra, alfalfa, foggara, and diffa

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Words from Asian Languages: Study Words

dugonggunucushyseersuckerjungleoolongnirvanabanglepatel

cummerbundjuggemautpangolinmahatmarupeemongooseshampootyphoonbamboo

jackaldungareebungalowgunnysackchutneykarmajuteyam enraj

kamapunditlootkavyajlvapandltchintz

Words from Asian Languages: Challenge Words

gymkhanabasmatlginghammandlrbhalu

gouramlmasalaraitaasanabatik

charpoydurwanmahoutprabhuBuddha

topengtanhalaharjnanaHoli

Words from French: Study Words

peloton denim collage [6J bevelbarrage cachet [3) amenable menuchagrin [1 J neologism expertise egalltananpacifism beige matinee quiche (9)manicure diplomat plateau fatiguealtrUism motif sortie garagebureaucracy suave croquette morguemascot foyer [4] phYSique [7] stethoscopeparfait clementine elite voguemystique ambulance deluxe musicalelayette [2J rehearse nougat paletteboutique leotard rouge [8J flamboyantdressage pralne [5J escargot batoncroquet diorama crochet souvenirgorgeous entourage regime impassedenture fuselage doctrinaire finessemirage boudoir tutu maladrOit

Words from French: Challenge Words

gaucherapportcamouflagegenrevirguledebaclefusillade [1 OJsaboteur

renaissancechaUVinismrecidivistchassisdetenteraconteurmayonnaise [11)surveillance

repertoiredossiertaupepoignantgarl'0ncroissantecnulieutenant

protegemelangeblasefeteIngenuerendezvous

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Words from French: Spelling Tips

1 French nearly always spells the Ishl sound with ch. and this spelling of the sound is verycommon in words from French. Chagrin. chauvinism, and crochet are examples.

2. A word from French ending with a stressed letlls us ually spelled wrth eNe as in layeNe andcroqueNe

3 A long a sound (lal) at the end of a word from French can be spelled a number of ways. One ofthe more common ways is with at as in cachet, croquet, and crochet.

4. One way to spell long a at the end of a word from French is with er as In dossier and In foyer.(Most Amencans. however. do not pronounce the ending of foyer With a long a.)

5. A long e sound (\el) at the end of a word from French can be spelled with ie as in pralne andsortIe

6. Words ending with an lazhl sound are common In French. This sound ISspelled age as incol/age. mirage. dressage. garage, barrage, camouffage, entourage, and fuselage

7. A Ikls ound at the end of a word from French is often spelled que as in physique, mysllque,and boutrq ue.

8. The lUI sound (as In rouge and many other words on the list) In words from French ISusuallyspelled with au. Sometimes, however, it is spelled with u as in tutu and ecru.

9 When the Ishl sound occurs at the end of a word from French, there is nearly always a Silent ethat follows it. as in quiche and gauche

10. Words ending with an I~dl sound are common In French This sound is spelled ade as Infusillade.

11. French speakers have a number of vowels that English speakers modify in pronunciation. Ourway of pronouncing the French alse (pronounced lezli n French) ISusually lazl

Eponyms: Study Words

pralinemagnolraboysenberryhostapoinsettiamacadamIasalmonellanewtonsaxophonetortoni

greengageangstromgardeniamelbatantalizeZinniaquislingbegoniasamaritanPanglosslan

qUixotejeremiadhectorGeronimoshrapnelvulcanizeFrankensteinBoswellamperecupid

FletcherismyahoodieselbandersnatchCrusoementorDracula

Eponyms: Challenge Words

forsythiamadeleinebromeliadmercerize

FahrenheitnarcissisticdahliaBaedeker

philippiCguillotineBobadilmesmerize

gnathonlcpasteurizeCroesusbraggadocIo

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Words from Gennan: Study Wordsangst (1)pretzelwaltzhaversacknoshsauerbratenhinterlandverbotenliverwurststreuselumlautwande~usteiderdownschnauzerlederhosen

kohlrabisitzmarklanglaufautobahn8ackstelninselberggestalteinkornk,tsch [2Jgestaposchlossrucksackechtbratwurstknapsack

feldsparpoltergeistnoodlespareribsMeistersinger [3)pumpem,ckelBi/dungsromanstrudelbagelhamstercobaltnachlmuSJkvo~age [4]graupelWagnerian

cringlefifeglitzhomburgkuchenpilch bien despritz [5)prattJezwingersp,tzrealschulepanzerstollendachshundseltzer

Words from German: Challenge Words

schadenfreude (6)dre,delweimaranerersatzfr~ulein

blilzJ<rieg [7Jgesundhe,tpfeffemussedelweiss [8)glockensp'el

rottwellerschottischeanschlusswedelspringerle

zeitgeberpickelhaubeschneckeV'/elssnichfl,vo

Words from German: Spelling Tips

1 Don't shy away from consonant clustersl German words often have combinatIons of three ormore consonants that don't occur ,n thoroughly English words Examples Include ngst in angst,sch In schadenfreude, schn in schnauzer, and nschl in anschluss

2. A \1<1sound in a word from German is usually spelled with kat ttne beg,nnlng of a word orsyllable (as IIi kitsch and einkorn) and olten with ck at the end of a word or syllable (as ,nknapsack and glockenspie~

3. A long i sound (In) usually has the spell,ng ei 'n words from German, as 'n traulem,Meistersinger, zeitgeber, and several other words on the list

4. The 11\sound, especially at the beg,nnlng of a word, is sometimes spelled with v in Germanwords as in vorlage Other examples include the non-study-list words volkslled and herrenvolk.

5. The letter z is far more common in German than In English. Note that its pronunCiation IS notusually the same as English Iz\ When rt follows a t, wh,ch is common, the pronunc,ation 'S Islas'n spntz, pretzel, blitzkneg, and several other words on the list.

6. The Ishl sound ,n words of German ongin 'S usually spelled sch as ,n schadenlreude, whetherat the beginning or end of a word or syllable. In schoNlsche, you get ,t In bottn places'

7. A long e sound (Ii;l) usually has the spell,ng Ie In words from German, as ,n blitzkrieg andglockenspiel

8 The letter VIIS properly pronounced as \v\.in G erman, as you hear in one pronunciatIon ofedelweiSS and In wedel and We;ssn;chtwo. Many German words. however, have become soanglic'zed that th,s pronunc,ation has vanished. Most Americans, for example, say "bratwurst,"not "bratvurs!"

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Words from Slavic Languages: Study Words

gulag Permian knish babaparka klshke cravat cossackSlav glasnost babushka nelmarobot paprika Soviet kovshsamovar sable Borzoi lokshenkremlin kasha gopak feldshertroika nebbish cheka barabaraslave polka sevruga aulmammoth Bolshevik trepakSiberian vampire babkatundra sputnik purga

Words from Slavic Languages: Challenge Words

balalaika barukhzy commissar taigakielbasa perestroika tokamak Beetewktchotchke apparatchik pogrom

Words from Dutch: Study Words

cockatoo howitzer scrabble ticketkeelhaul crimp clapboard buckwagonharpoon bluff gruff hockfurlough stIpple ismglass boodlebowery fioss excise guyeasel cruiser blister daffodilholster hustle rabbit loiterfreebooter klompen package potashwaffle polder muddle scowtrawl bundle handsome wintergreenuproar catkin foist triggerbeleaguer splice staple stripecruller Flemish gulden bruinyacht grabble mart skipperwiseacre huckster screen waywiserbrackish frolic guilder spoordecoy ravel etch mlzzlecaboose tattle Netherlander schoolbuckwheat scum dune picklewalrus trek croon snuff

Words from Dutch: Challenge Words

mynheer springbok uitlander hartebeestwaterzooi maelstrom hollandaise keestfiense bobbejaan galJoen wainscotmuishond keeshond schlpper1<e roodebokwltloof voortrekker apartheid

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1 Old English likes double consonants following short vowels, especially ~ lhe vowel,s in aslressed syllable. Examples Include quell, paddock, mattock, sallow, fennel, hassock, errand,barrow, kipper, and Wlccan.

2. A long a sound (1131)at the end of words from Old English 's nearly always spelled ay as inbelay.

3. Long e (leI) at the end of an adlective or adverb from Old English 's nearly always spelled wilhy Examples Include dreary, watery, windily, fiery, creepy, daily, stringy, timely, womanly, andchary.

4 Long a (\61)at the end of words from Old English IStyp,cally spelled wilh ow as in sallow andbarrow. By contrast, a long 0 at lhe end of a word In many languages that English has borrowedfrom is simply spelled Wllh 0

5. When lhe syllable Isalle nds words from Old English, ,t ISnearly always spelled slle, with lhe tbemg silent (as In gnstle and nestle)

6 Silent gh after a vowel is common in words from Old English, as in slaughter. S,lenl gh usuallyappears after I in words like plight (nolan lhe study list) and nightingale, and il signals that thevowel is pronounced \n.

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¥Yoras Trom via t:ngllsn: ;)tuay lIpS, contlnuea

7. The vowel combination oa in words from Old English ISnearly always pronounced as long a(101)as in loam and goatee. Examples not on the study list include shoal, boastful, and gloaming.

8. Silent e on the end or not? For words from Old English that end In either hard th (lthl) or soft th(Ithl), remember this: More often than not, soft th will have a silent e at the end of the word.Consider, for example,be queath, dearth, kith, hearth, and hundredth versus blithe, lithe, andtithe Interestingly, the word blithe can be pronounced both ways

Words from New World Languages: Study Words

condoriguanahumcane (1)kahunahoganjerkymuskrathominywigwampampascaribou [2)toboggan

persimmonquininepowwowbayoucoyote [3Jtamalepoicashewluautotemmahimahihickory

cacaokanamalihiniwlkiwikiTuckahoepecanchipotleskunkwoodchuck [4)chocolatemuumuupuma

tomatomaracapetuniajaguarbuccaneerllamasuccotashcaucuswampummoletoucan

Words from New World Languages: Challenge Words

opossumterrapinocelot

hoomallmallcoatiJacamar

IpecaCmenhadensachem

Words from New World languages: Spelling Tips

1 Remember that words settling down in English are often spelled according to English wordpatterns If you're completely unsure of how to spell a word from a New World language, you cantry Just"sounding it out" ThiS strategy would work for hurricane, muskrat, WIgwam, and severalother words on the list

2. Take note of the language(s) a word may have traveled through on ItSway to English, for thepath to English often gives a clue about spelling. For example, if it had been up to an Englishspeaker, the luI sound at the end of caribou would probably have been spelled 00; but theInfluence of French gives us the current spelling because French usually spells this sound au.

3 Coyote shows evidence of having passed through Spanish on its way to English The voicedfinal e is often seen In Spanish words. Two other examples on this list are tamale and mole.

4. Remember what folk etymology IS?Words that entered English from New World languageswere prime candidates for this process. If parts of a native word sounded familiar, they were oftenspelled by the settlers In a familiar way, as In woodchuck. Muskrat ISalso probably a result of folketymology

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------- - ----- ------------------_._-- ---

naras Tram UfO ~ngllsn: ::ituay lipS, continued

7 The vowel combination 00 in words from Old English is nearly always pronounced as long a(161)as In loam and goatee. Examples not on the study list Include shoal, boastful. and gloaming

8. Silent e on the end or not? For words from Old English that end In either hard th (Ithl) or soft th(Ithl) remember this: More often than not, soft th will have a silent e at the end of the word.Consider. for example,be queath, dearth, kith, hearth, and hundredth versus blithe. lithe, andlithe Interestrngly. the word blithe can be pronounced both ways.

Words from New World Languages: Study Words

condor persimmon cacao tomatoiguana quinine kana maracahurricane [1J powwow malihini petuniakahuna bayou wikiwiki jaguarhogan coyote [3J Tuckahoe buccaneerjerky tamale pecan llamamuskrat Pal chlpotle succotashhominy cashew skunk caucuswigwam luau woodchuck [4) wampumpampas totem chocolate molecaribou [2J mahimahi muumuu toucantoboggan hickory puma

Words from New World Languages: Challenge Words

opossumterrapinocelot

hoomalimalicoatijacamar

ipecacmenhadensachem

Words from New World Languages: Spelling Tips

1. Remember that words settling down in English are often spelled according to English wordpatterns If you're completely unsure of how to spell a word from a New World language. you cantry Just "sounding it out," ThiS strategy would work for hurricane, muskrat, Wigwam, and severalother words on the list

2. Take note of the language(s) a word may have traveled through on its way to English, for thepath to English often gives a clue about spelling. For example, if It had been up to an Englishspeaker, the lUI sound at the end of caribou would probably have been spelled 00. but theinfluence of French gives us the current spelling because French usually spells thiS sound ou.

3. Coyote shows eVidence of having passed through Spanish on ItSway to English: The voicedfinal e IS often seen in Spanish words, Two other examples on this list are tamale and mole.

4. Remember what folk etymology is? Words that entered English from New World languageswere pnme candidates for this process. If parts of a native word sounded familiar, they were oftenspelled by the settlers In a familiar way. as In woodchuck. Muskrat is also probably a result of folketymology.

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Words from Japanese: Study Words

ninjasushi [1Jtofushogunhonchokarate [2Jsamuraitenyakisashimi

tsunamihaiku [3Jfutonmikado [4Jhibachiorigamigeisha [5)wasabiramen

kudzubanzaitycoonsumokoansatoritatamlkamisukiyaki

kurumaMei}iRomajiodor;miseKabukigetasayonara

Words from Japanese: Challenge Words

karaokenisei

sanseiissei

kibei

Wands from Japanese: Spelling Tips

,. A long e sound (\el) is very common at the end of Japanese words and is usually spelled with ias In sushi, tenyakl, wasabl, Meij;, odor;' and several other words on the list

2. In some Japanese words, long 0 is spelled simply with 0 (not I) as in karate and karaoke

3 An lUis ound IS also a common way to end Japanese words and IS spelled with u as in haiku,tofu, and kudzu.

4. Long 0 (161)at the end of a word from Japanese IS spelled with 0 as ,n honcho, mikado, sumoand miso .

5.A 10 ng a sound (\iiI) heard in geisha is spelled oi in some words from Japanese. Four of thechallenge words have this spelling of the long a sound and contain the word element sei, whichmeans "generation."

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Words from Greek: Study Words

lethargyandroidchronicbiopsyIronyautomatonenthusiasmsynopsishomogeneousodysseymegalopolisacme IIIsynonymorthodoxaristocracycalypsopatriarchhierarchycharacter [2JisobarasteriskeclecticmelancholystoicchronologyeulogydidacticcosmeticSpartangeothermal

cynical [3)homonymCryptiChypothesIsacademypentathlonantibIoticdiatribeetymologyhydraulic [4)traumahygienesemanticsthesaurusphenomenon [5JcosmosprotagonistacronymparadoxsynchronousmisanthropysarcasmephemeralpolygonnemesIssyntaxeurekatopographypanicapostrophe

geraniummetaphorsphericalxylophone [6Jdynamicmyriadepiphanyapathysynergyamnesiaphilanthropydemocracystrategy [7Jdiagnosistopicalmatriarchendemicanalysis [8JrhetoriceponymagnosticdogmaidiomthermaldyslexiaOlympianallegorypragmatIcadamantprotocol

tragichydrologypolymernotochordbiblicalergonomicmathematicstachometerprotemrhinoceroshyphenautopsypyreherpetologyangeliCtritiumandrocentncdemoticgeodehedOnismperiscopegeoponicsasthmogenicmonotonousamphibioussymbiosismacronperiphery

Words from Greek: Challenge Words

dichotomymisogYnisthypocrisydiphthongmnemonicanomaly

zephyrhippopotamuseuphemismanachronismmetamorphosishyperbole

arachnidparadigmEocenegynarchypneumaticHemerocallis

cynosurephilhellenlsmeuthanasiaphilatelycacophony

Wonds from Greek: Spelling Tips

1 In a few words from Greek, e appears at the end of a word and has long e sound leI: Some examplesare acme, apostrophe, and hyperbole.

2 A 11<1sound in English often represents a sound from Greek that we don't actually use, and the mostcommon spelling of this sound in English 1$ ch.- See anachronism, arachnid, character, chronic,chronology, dichotomy, hierarchy, matnarch, melancholy, patnarch, synchronous, notochord, tachometerand gynarchy.

3. The most frequent sound that y gets In words from Greek IS short I (iiI) as In acronym, calypso, cryptic.cynical, dyslexia, eponym, homonym, mynad, Olympian, synchronous, synergy, synonym, synopsIs.syntax, symbiosis and polymer.

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Words from Greek: Spelling Tips, continued

4. A long I sound (li\) in a word that comes from Greek is sometimes represented by y, especially after h,as In hydraulic, hydrology, hygiene, hyperbole, hyphen. hypothesIs, dynamiC, cynosure, gynarehy,xylophone and pyre

5 In ancient Greek, the letter phi (pronounced lli\) represented a breathy or "aspl/ated" verSion of thesound that ISrepresented in English by f Speakers of Roman-alphabet languages did not have thissound or a corresponding letter, so they substituted the \f\ sound but memorialized the original sound ofphi by uSIOgph to spell It As a result, the English \1\sound almost always appears as ph In words ofGreek ongin. Consider, for example: amphibious, apostrophe, cacophony, diphthong, epiphany,euphemism, hyphen, metamorphosis, metaphor, periphery, phenomenon, phIlanthropy, phl/ately,phI/hellenism, spherical, topography, xylophone and zephyr. Hundreds of words in English denved fromGreek show thiS spelling.

6 The letter a ISthe vowel most often used to connect two Greek word elements. If the connecting vowelsound ISa schwa (leI) as In xylophone, notochord, orthodox, ergonomic, geoponics, and asthmogenicand you must guess at the spelling of this sound, the letter 0 ISa very good guess. The non-study-listwords hypnotist, geometric and electrolyte are among the many, many words made of Greek wordelements connected by 0

7.T he ~Is ound ISalways spelled wrth g In words from Greek 'Why? 'When the ~I sound appears In wordsof Greek origin, it does so as an anglicized pronunciation of a root originally pronounced wrth a hard g.Note that no j appears in any of the words on this list I

B.A schwa in words from Greek is occasionally spelled with y' See analysis. etymology. misogynist.odyssey and zephyr.

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;.

• Words from Italian: Study Words

staccatoballotconfetti (1)semolinaInfluenzacavalrypiazzacadenzapistachiospinetcantataincognito [2Jvendettacontrabandmascaragraffilicredenzaparapet

falsettod,ttoprovolone [3]extravaganzascampibelladonnagondolarotundacauliflowergallenaregattacrescendo [4JbalconyportfolioantipastolibrettoVIrtuosOharmonica

maestrobravurafrescostucco (51infernoballennamalanagrottoharpsichordallegrovirtuosaspaghettipiccoloraviolivibratopestaariabambino

salamiParmesanoratoriofinalescenanccontrapuntalilluminaticoncertomacaronipalmettobanditfiascocameosonatacoloratura

Words from Italian: Challenge Words

scherzo [6Jadagioseguezucchini [7]capricious

archipelagocharlatanmaraschinopaparazzo [8Jfantoccm,

mozzarellagaribaldiocarinaprosciuttotrattona

vivacecappellettipizzicatointaglio

Words from Italian: Spelling Tips

1. Long e (leI) at the end of a word from Italian is usually spelled with i as in confetti, graffiti,zucchini, fantoccini, cappelletti and many other words on the Irst In Italian, a final i usuallyIndicates a plural form. ThiS IS not always true, however, of Italian words in English,

2 Long 0 (161)at the end of an Italian word ISspelled with a as in incognito, stucco, virtuoso,concerto, prosciutto, pizzicato, vibrato and many other words on the list

3. A long e sound (leI) at the end of a word from Italian can be spelled with e as In provolone,finale, and one pronunciation of vivace, although thiS spelling olthe sound is less common than i.

4. The Ishl sound has vanous spellings in words from Italian; a spelling it usually doesn't have 'ssh' It can be spelled sc as In crescendo and prosciutto or ch as In chartatan and pistachio. Thespelling of the Ishl sound in capricIOus IS also seen in words that come from Latin-the ancestrallanguage of Italian.

5 The \1<1sound can be spelled cc when It comes before long 0 (161)as in stucco or when itcomes before lal as in staccato,

6. Another lIalian spelling of \1<1is ch as In scherzo

7. The sound le-nel, common at the end of Italian words (it forms diminutives), is usually spelledin; (as in zucchini and fantocCim).

8 The double consonant zz is typically pronounced Itsl In words from Italian. as In paparazzo,mozzarella, pizzicato, and one pronunciation of piazza.

Words and Spelling Tips from 2013 Spell It I

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Words from Spanish: Study Words

bumtoembargo [1Jchimichangagazpachomanachi (2)sombreroalligatorcanastabonanzachinchillamachismoenchiladapueblohaciendafandango

quesadilla [3Jflotillatornadoflamenco [4Jvigilanteadioscabanagorditapeccadillofilibustertortillavanillacilantrofiestaanchovy

mesa (5)ramadajuncocafetenabongocastanetsmantilla [6]oreganolariatchalupabuffalo [7]renegadelangostaalamobarrio

cedillaArgentinebolivaramanllocordovandesperadoempanadatomatillodiablopochlsmosierraoliobolerojuntaduenna

Words from Spanish: Challenge Words

sassafraspunctiliosarsaparilla

comandanteembarcaderorejoneador

novilleropicaresqueconquistador

rasgadovaquerocaballero

Words from Spanish: Spelling Tips

1 A long 0 sound (\01) at the end of a word ISoften a mark of Spanish origin. and ,t is nearly always spelledsimply with 0 as in embargo and many other words on this list.

2 A long e sound (\el) at the end of a word of Spanish origm is usually spelled with i as in mariachi.

3.T he \1<1sound is sometimes spelled with qu in words of Spanish origin. This is especially true when the vowelsound that follows is long a (121).long e (leI). or short I (iiI) Ouesadilla and conquistador (In ItSpronunCiationswith and without the \s\s Qund) are examples from our list.

4 It ISmuch more common for the \1<1sound to be spelled with c m words of Spanish ongin. This is almostInvariable when the vowel sound that follows is a schwa lalas in canasta and embarcadero: shorta (\al) as Incastanets and caballero, or long 0 (101) as In flamenco and Junco.

5 A schwa at fhe end of a word from Spanish ISvery common and ISusually spelled with a as in mesa.bonanza, and several other words on the list

6.T he combination II In Spanish words is traditionally treated as a smgle letter and is pronounced as consonantIyl in American Spanish. When such words enter English. sometimes that sound persists. At other times it ISpronounced Just like II would be In an English word: that is, as iiI Some words-such as mantilla, tomatillo,amarillo. and caballerrr-even have two pronunCiations In English. Ouesad/lla, tol1/lla. and novillero alwayshave the Iylpr onunciatlon In English: chmchilla, flot/lla. vanilla, peccadillo. ced/lla. and sarsapanlla always havethe III pronunciation, Be on the lookout'

7 Note that, except for II, double consonants in words from Spanish are not very common. Buffalo andpeccadillo represent exceptions. In Spanish, buffalo has only one fan d peccad/ll0 has only one c Englishspelling rules prefer two consonants as a signal that the prevIous vowel is short, as is the case in these words

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