Spell It documents and word lists

"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