"This year the words are organized
by origin; it is very helpful in studying for the test as so many
spelling rules are partial to their origin. Plus, it makes it much
easier and more sensible to remember their origins in order to ask
for them at the competition. At the end of each section, they have a
few challenge words as well."
Words from Latin
inane, relevant, impetuous,
ambivalent, dejected, postmortem, interject, incriminate, access,
plausible, interrupt, alliteration, refugee, amicable, lucid,
percolate, meticulous, fastidious, trajectory, transect, animosity,
implement, ambiguity, curriculum, omnivorous, bellicose, electoral,
crescent, obsequious, precipice, susceptible, condolences,
benefactor, candidate, bugle, formidable, canary, ignorant,
subterfuge, abdicate, lunatic, colloquial, carnivore, gregarious,
ostentatious, recant, prosaic, herbivore, prodigal, magnanimous,
benevolent, mercurial, simile, jovial, ridiculous, innate,
obstinate, discern, mediocre, insidious, rupture, precipitate,
erudite, intractable, exuberant, ingenious, retrospective, ominous,
vulnerable, omnipotent, consensus, discipline, alleviate, spectrum,
prescription, capitulation, incredulous, December, affinity,
necessary, adjacent, dissect, conjecture, imperative, predicate,
corporal, patina
Challenge Words
Soliloquy, accommodate, pernicious,
efficacy, visceral, exacerbate, indigenous, belligerent, vernacular,
infinitesimal, recalcitrant, innocuous, precocious, ameliorate,
commensurate, facetious, prerogative, ubiquitous, egregious,
aggregate
Words From Arabic
azure, sultan, artichoke, macramé,
mummy, tarragon, adobe, apricot, borax, talc, arsenal, lemon, tuna,
admiral, hazard, carmine, monsoon, gazelle, crimson, orange, sequin,
algebra, guitar, giraffe, mattress, elixir, saffron, cotton,
albatross, zero, safari, magazine, mohair, mosque, zenith, alfalfa,
imam, alcohol, tariff, lilac, alcove, massage, henna, alchemy, sugar
Challenge Words
Muslin, camphor, algorithm, minaret,
tamarind, carafe, julep, marzipan
Words from Asian Languages
dugong, cushy, seersucker, oolong,
bangle, cummerbund, juggernaut, pangolin, rupee, mongoose, shampoo,
typhoon, bamboo, dungaree, bungalow, gunnysack, chutney
Challenge Words
Gymkhana, basmati, gingham
Words from French
Peloton, barrage, Clementine, chagrin,
pacifism, manicure, altruism, bureaucracy, mascot, parfait,
mystique, layette, garage, dressage, croquet, gorgeous, denture,
mirage, denim, cachet, neologism, abate, beige, diplomat, motif,
suave, ambulance, foyer, stethoscope, rehearse, leotard, prairie,
diorama, zest, entourage, fuselage, boudoir, collage, amenable,
expertise, physique, egalitarian, deluxe, nougat, rouge, escargot
Challenge Words
Gauche, rapport, camouflage, genre,
virgule, debacle, fusillade, saboteur, renaissance, chauvinism,
recidivist, chassis, détente, raconteur, mayonnaise, surveillance,
repertoire
Eponyms (words derived from someone's
name)
Praline, magnolia, boysenberry,
Gatling, hosta, poinsettia, macadamia, salmonella, Newton,
saxophone, shrapnel, tortoni, greengage, angstrom, gardenia,
sideburns, melba, tantalize, zinnia
Challenge Words
Forsythia, Madeleine, bromeliad,
mercerize, Fahrenheit, narcissistic, dahlia, Baedeker
Words from German
Angst, pretzel, waltz, haversack,
nosh, sauerbraten, hinterland, verboten, kitsch, liverwurst,
cranberry, streusel, umlaut, wanderlust, eiderdown, schnauzer,
Meistersinger, lederhosen, kohlrabi, sitzmark, vorlage, langlauf,
autobahn, Backstein, inselberg, gestalt, einkorn, Gestapo, rucksack,
echt, knapsack, feldspar, poltergeist, noodle, spareribs,
pumpernickel, bratwurst, strudel, seltzer, bagel, hamster, spritz,
cobalt, nachtmusik, graupel
Challenge Words
Schottische, dreidel, weimaraner,
ersatz, fraulein, blitzkrieg, gesundheit, pfeffernuss, edelweiss,
glockenspiel, rottweiler, anschluss
Words from Slavic Languages
Gulag, parka, Slav, robot, samovar,
kremlin, troika, slave, mammoth, Siberian, tundra, Permian, kishke,
glasnost, paprika, sable, kasha, nebbish, polka, Bolshevik, vampire,
sputnik, knish, cravat, babushka, Soviet, Borzoi
Challenge Words
Balalaika, kielbasa, perestroika,
apparatchik, commissar
Words from Dutch
Cockatoo, keelhaul, harpoon, furlough,
bowery, easel, holster, howitzer, freebooter, landscape, waffle,
trawl, uproar, beleaguer, cruller, yacht, wiseacre, slurp, brackish,
decoy, caboose, buckwheat, walrus
Challenge Word
Maelstrom
Words from Old English
Quell, barrow, dearth, bower, paddock,
blithe, keen mongrel, reckless, alderman, whirlpool, belay,
cleanser, dreary, bequeath, sallow, dross, lithe, gristle, earwig,
fickle, nestle, fennel, nostril, abide, behest, slaughter, gospel,
furlong, linseed, nether, fathom, nightingale, farthing, threshold,
kith, wanton, loam, yield, mattock, hawthorn, tithe, behoove, aspen,
mermaid, anvil, forlorn, quiver, hustings, barley, linden, hassock,
orchard, hearth
Challenge Words
Heifer, mistletoe, salve
Words from New World Languages
Condor, iguana, hurricane, kahuna,
Hogan, jerky, muskrat, hominy, wigwam, pampas, caribou, toboggan,
persimmon, quinine, powwow, bayou, coyote, tamale, toucan, poi,
petunia, cashew, luau, totem, mahimahi, hickory, chipotle, skunk,
woodchuck, chocolate, muumuu, puma, tomato
Challenge Words
Opossum, terrapin
Words from Japanese
Ninja, sushi, tofu, shogun, sayonara,
honcho, karate, samurai, teriyaki, sashimi, tsunami, tycoon, haiku,
futon, geisha, Mikado, hibachi, origami, wasabi, ramen, kudzu
Challenge Word
Karaoke
Words from Greek
Lethargy, android, chronic, biopsy,
irony, automaton, enthusiasm, synopsis, homogeneous, hedonism,
odyssey, megalopolis, acme, synonym, orthodox, aristocracy, calypso,
patriarch, hierarchy, character, isobar, asterisk, eclectic,
melancholy, stoic, chronology, eulogy, didactic, cosmetic, Spartan,
geothermal, cynical, homonym, cryptic, hypothesis, academy,
pentathlon, antibiotic, diatribe, etymology, hydraulic, trauma,
topography, hygiene, semantics, thesaurus, phenomenon, cosmos,
protagonist, acronym, paradox, synchronous, misanthropy, sarcasm,
ephemeral, polygon, nemesis, syntax, eureka, panic, apostrophe,
geranium, metaphor, spherical, xylophone, dynamic, myriad, epiphany,
apathy, synergy, amnesia, philanthropy, democracy, strategy,
diagnosis, topical, matriarch, endemic, analysis, rhetoric, eponym,
agnostic, dogma, idiom, thermal, dyslexia, Olympian, allegory,
pragmatic, adamant, protocol
Challenge Words
Dichotomy, misogynist, hypocrisy,
diphthong, mnemonic, anomaly, zephyr, hippopotamus, euphemism,
anachronism, metamorphosis, hyperbole, arachnid, paradigm
Words from Italian
Staccato, ballot, confetti, semolina,
influenza, cavalry, piazza, cadenza, pistachio, spinet, cantata,
incognito, vendetta, contraband, mascara, graffiti, credenza,
parapet, falsetto, ditto, provolone, extravaganza, scampi,
belladonna, gondola, rotunda, cauliflower, galleria, regatta,
crescendo, balcony, portfolio, antipasto, libretto, virtuoso,
harmonica, maestro, bravura, fresco, stucco, inferno, ballerina,
malaria, grotto, harpsichord, allegro
Challenge Words
Scherzo, adagio, segue, zucchini,
capricious, archipelago, charlatan, maraschino, paparazzo
Words from Spanish
Burrito, embargo, chimichanga,
gazpacho, mariachi, sombrero, alligator, canasta, bonanza,
chinchilla, cilantro, castanets, machismo, enchilada, pueblo,
hacienda, fandango, quesadilla, flotilla, tornado, flamenco,
vigilante, adios, cabana, gordita, peccadillo, filibuster, tortilla,
vanilla, fiesta, anchovy, mesa, ramada, junco, cafeteria, bongo,
mantilla, oregano, lariat, chalupa, buffalo,
Challenge Words
sassafras, punctilio, sarsaparilla
