It鈥檚 the week of the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee, where spellers between the ages of 6 and 15 are competing to demonstrate their mastery of the tricks and tics of English spelling. The .
But while the young people are untangling words like choucroute (fine-cut cabbage fermented in brine) and pterylosis (type of arrangement of feathers), it turns out many of us aren鈥檛 sure how to spell more mundane words.
Google released a map yesterday on its Google Trends Twitter account showing which words inspired people in each state to seek spelling help online. The map is based on searches for 鈥淗ow to spell _______鈥� for the first four months of 2017 for each state.
Wisconsin drew the most double takes: Yes, residents of the Badger State seem to be confused about how to spell Wisconsin. (One Twitter user shared a clip from a TV show in which a Wisconsinite had dubbed his home state 鈥淲isconson.鈥�)
Animal names and words of praise tripped up other spellers: 鈥淏eautiful鈥� and 鈥淗allelujah鈥� made a few appearances; residents of Arkansas want to know how to spell 鈥渃hihuahua,鈥� and residents of Louisiana want to know how to spell 鈥済iraffe.鈥�
Some of the words are specifically designed to trip up would-be spellers. Connecticut and West Virginia, for instance, are searching for how to spell 鈥�,鈥� the enthusiastic expression of delight from Walt Disney鈥檚 Mary Poppins. (It seems there may be a to the original movie coming soon.)
New Jersey, on the other hand, is trying to figure out how to spell..."twelve?鈥� Somehow, that doesn鈥檛 seem likely to be a word in today鈥檚 bee finals.
Can鈥檛 watch? The National Spelling Bee is Tweeting tricky words throughout the day. You might learn a word or two.
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