Scripps National Spelling Bee quiz: can you beat the past years’ winners?

The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee has welcomed 245 spellers to National Harbor, Maryland. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

1. A stupidly easy effort was the key back in 1930. How do you spell this word, meaning a noisy disturbance or quarrel?

   1. Fracas

   2. Fracah

   3. Frackas

   4. Phracar

2. In 1967 this dog breed clinched the competition for Jennifer Reinke ...

   1. Chiuawawah

   2. Chiuahua

   3. Chihuahua

   4. Chiwawa

3. From 1965, this word is a common skin condition

   1. Eczema

   2. Ecszema

   3. Eczsema

   4. Exema

4. The thing about skin conditions is that they're pretty hard to spell. Here's another one, which Molly Dieveney won with in 1982 ...

   1. Psoeriasis

   2. Psoriasis

   3. Soriasis

   4. Psoriaesis

5. Go on, another skin one for you. This word from the 1962 edition means not scaly - or smooth skinned

   1. Esquamuulos

   2. Esquamulose

   3. Esquamulouse

   4. Esquamulos

6. "A tendency to extreme wordiness". Spell this zinger from the 1999 Spelling Bee

   1. Logorhea

   2. Logorrhea

   3. Logorrhhea

   4. Loggarhea

7. Anamika Veeramani won in 2010 after getting this one, a type of medical instrument ...

   1. Strommuhr

   2. Stromour

   3. Strohmuhr

   4. Stromuhr

8. This is from the 2011 edition. Having wavy hair is spelled ...

   1. Cymotrichous

   2. Khaemotrichous

   3. Caehmotrichous

   4. Cymortrichous

9. 1942's winner means profane or unholy ...

   1. Sacreligous

   2. Sacreligious

   3. Sacrilegious

   4. Sacralegious

10. Jody-Anne Maxwell from Jamaica was the first non-American winner, in 1998. Her word, a type of painter, was ...

    1. Chiaroscurist

    2. Chiaroscourist

    3. Chiaeroscourist

    4. Chiarosccurist

11. This word, derived from an ancient city in Greek Asia Minor won Kavya Shivashankar the prize in 2009

    1. Laodiceaen

    2. Loadicaean

    3. Laodaecian

    4. Laodicean

12. And to wrap things up, a gimme from 2005. San Diego's Anurag Kashyap knew how to spell this musical term ...

    1. Apoggiatura

    2. Appoggiatura

    3. Apoggiattura

    4. Apogiaturra

Solutions

1:A, 2:C, 3:A, 4:B, 5:B, 6:B, 7:D, 8:A, 9:C, 10:A, 11:D, 12:B

Scores

1. 2 and above.

   If you're going to be bad, it's best to be really bad. Well done

2. 3 and above.

   An octopus picking answers at random would have done better than you

3. 4 and above.

   An octopus picking answers at random would have done better than you

4. 5 and above.

   An octopus picking answers at random would have done better than you

5. 6 and above.

   Distinctly mediocor... mediocur... average

6. 7 and above.

   Distinctly mediocor... mediocur... average

7. 8 and above.

   Not bad, but nothing a few years perched over a dictionary wouldn't solve

8. 9 and above.

   Not bad, but nothing a few years perched over a dictionary wouldn't solve

9. 10 and above.

   Excellent stuff. You know your Succedaneum from your Succedanneum

10. 11 and above.

    Excellent stuff. You know your Succedaneum from your Succedanneum

11. 12 and above.

    Perfect! Get your entry in for next year's competition. Provided you're a kid

12. 0 and above.

    If you're going to be bad, it's best to be really bad. Well done

13. 1 and above.

    If you're going to be bad, it's best to be really bad. Well done