The Scripps National Spelling Bee has stumped spellers since the 1920s. Think you can handle these hard spelling bee words that once took the crown?
23 Hard Spelling Bee Words That Even Stump Adults
Updated on May 09, 2025
Winning word: albumen
Year: 1928
How to say it: “al-byoo-men”
What it means: Egg white, as well as a type of protein found in egg whites and milk
Sentence containing the word: “Well-beaten albumen is the key to impressive meringue.”
Who won: Betty Robinson, a 13-year-old from Indiana
Winning word: asceticism
Year: 1929
How to say it: “uh–set–ih-siz-uhm”
What it means: The practice of avoiding indulgences and temptations, usually for religious reasons
Sentence containing the word: “Priests practice asceticism in a display of worship.”
Who won: Virginia Hogan, a 12-year-old from Nebraska
Winning word: soubrette
Year: 1953
How to say it: “soo-bret“
What it means: A high female vocal range, or an actress in an opera with such a vocal range
Sentence containing the word: “Suzanne in Le Mariage de Figaro is possibly the most famous soubrette.”
Who won: Elizabeth Hess, a 13-year-old from Arizona
Winning word: crustaceology
Year: 1955
How to say it: “crus-tay-shee-aw-lo-jee”
What it means: The study of crustaceans, such as crabs and shrimp
Sentence containing the word: “I’m very interested in marine biology, specifically crustaceology.”
Who won: Sandra Sloss, a 13-year-old from Illinois
Winning word: interlocutory
Year: 1969
How to say it: “in-ter-lok-yuh-tawr-ee”
What it means: Given during the course of a legal action
Sentence containing the word: “Rather than awaiting trial, consider an interlocutory appeal.”
Who won: Susan Yoachum, a 14-year-old from Texas
Winning word: shalloon
Year: 1971
How to say it: “sha-loon“
What it means: A type of twilled fabric
Sentence containing the word: “The material used to line clothing is more often than not shalloon.”
Who won: Jonathan Knisely, a 12-year-old from New Jersey
Winning word: macerate
Year: 1972
How to say it: “mas-er-ate”
What it means: To soften (usually food) by soaking in liquid
Sentence containing the word: “The strawberry shortcake recipe says to macerate the strawberries and top them with whipped cream.”
Who won: Robin Kral, a 14-year-old from Texas
Winning word: hydrophyte
Year: 1974
How to say it: “high-druh-fight”
What it means: An aquatic plant, one that grows only on or in water
Sentence containing the word: “A few hydrophytes would really liven up the fish tank.”
Who won: Julie Ann Junkin, a 12-year-old from Alabama
Winning word: maculature
Year: 1979
How to say it: “mac-yoo-luh-chur”
What it means: In art, a printing impression made to remove excess ink
Sentence containing the word: “Any bookbinder worth their salt will know about maculatures!”
Who won: Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, a 13-year-old from Colorado
Winning word: elegiacal
Year: 1988
How to say it: “el-i-jahy–uh-kuhl”
What it means: Sorrowful or lamenting
Sentence containing the word: “The movie score was rather elegiacal—I was sobbing the whole time!”
Who won: Rageshree Ramachandran, a 13-year-old from California
Winning word: spoliator
Year: 1989
How to say it: “spoh-lee-eyt-uhr”
What it means: Someone who plunders or robs
Sentence containing the word: “The spoliator has made off with our spoils once again.”
Who won: Scott Isaacs, a 14-year-old from Colorado
Winning word: lyceum
Year: 1992
How to say it: “lahy-see–uhm”
What it means: An institution or building that hosts lectures and other educational programs
Sentence containing the word: “I just went to a poetry reading at the lyceum last week.”
Who won: Amanda Goad, a 13-year-old from Virginia
Winning word: antediluvian
Year: 1994
How to say it: “an-tee-di-loo-vee-uhn”
What it means: Taking place before the Great Flood in the Bible, or extremely old fashioned
Sentence containing the word: “I enjoy having a door opened for me once in a while—consider me antediluvian!”
Who won: Ned G. Andrews, a 13-year-old from Tennessee
Winning word: succedaneum
Year: 2001
How to say it: “suhk-si-dey-nee-um”
What it means: A substitute or replacement, usually for medicine
Sentence containing the word: “She asked me for some Tylenol to help her headache, but I figured a succedaneum of Excedrin would have to do.”
Who won: Sean Conley, a 13-year-old from Minnesota
Winning word: pococurante
Year: 2003
How to say it: “poh-koh-kyu-ran-tee”
What it means: Uncaring, apathetic (as well as a person with those qualities)
Sentence containing the word: “If a young man grew up being yelled at all the time, it is quite expected for the man to have a pococurante demeanor toward people screaming.”
Who won: Sai R. Gunturi, a 13-year-old from Texas
Winning word: appoggiatura
Year: 2005
How to say it: “uh-poj-uh–too–ruh”
What it means: A music note played as an embellishment on the main beat
Sentence containing the word: “An appoggiatura places emphasis on the grace note.”
Who won: Anurag Kashyap, a 13-year-old from California
Winning word: stromuhr
Year: 2010
How to say it: “strow-muhr”
What it means: A medical instrument that determines the amount of blood flowing through a vein or artery
Sentence containing the word: “This prognosis might require a stromuhr.”
Who won: Anamika Veeramani, a 14-year-old from Ohio
Winning word: guetapens
Year: 2012
How to say it: “get-uh-paw”
What it means: A trap or a snare
Sentence containing the word: “The opposing team fell for our guetapens, and it was all over.”
Who won: Snigdha Nandipati, a 14-year-old from California
Winning words: feuilleton and stichomythia
Year: 2014
How to say them: “foi-yuh–taw” and “stik-uh–mith-ee-uh”
What they mean: A feuilleton is a part of a newspaper for fiction, essays and other lighter reading, and a stichomythia is a Greek drama technique where two characters speak alternately.
Sentences containing the words: “The minute I open the newspaper, I flip to the feuilleton.” + “The stichomythia in Oedipus is unparalleled.”
Who won: Ansun Sujoe, a 13-year-old from Texas, and Sriram Hathwar, a 14-year-old from New York, tied for first place after exhausting the entire list of words.
Winning words: scherenschnitte and nunatak
Year: 2015
How to say them: “she-ren-shnit-tuh” + “nuhn–uh-tak”
What they mean: Scherenschnitte is the artistic technique of cutting paper to form a symmetrical design, and a nunatak is a peak of rock above an icy or snowy surface.
Sentences containing the words: “Patience, practice and a steady hand are essential for this craft, as most scherenschnitte designs are extremely elaborate.” + “At last, we reached the top of the Crean Glacier, at a broad pass beside a striking nunatak.”
Who won: Gokul Venkatachalam, a 14-year-old from Missouri, and Vanya Shivashankar, a 13-year-old from Kansas, tied for first place after exhausting the entire list of words.
Winning words: Feldenkrais and gesellschaft
Year: 2016
How to say them: “fell-den-krice” + “guh–zell-shawft”
What they mean: Feldenkrais is a method of exercise therapy that emphasizes connections between the brain and body, and gesellschaft is a social relationship based on duty or obligation, not camaraderie.
Sentences containing the words: “A little Feldenkrais will have you fixed up in no time.” + “It’s less a friendship and more so gesellschaft.”
Who won: Nihar Janga, an 11-year-old from Texas, and Jairam Hathwar, a 13-year-old from New York, tied for first place after exhausting the entire list of words.
Winning word: marocain
Year: 2017
How to say it: “mare–uh-cain”
What it means: A type of fabric made from silk or wool
Sentence containing the word: “It’s a dress made from the most beautiful marocain I’ve ever seen.”
Who won: Ananya Vinay, a 12-year-old from California, became the first solo winner since 2013!
Winning word: koinonia
Year: 2018
How to say it: “koy-no-nee-a”
What it means: An intimate religious experience or spiritual connection, particularly among Christians
Sentence containing the word: “The church koinonia was a source of support in his time of need.
Who won: Karthik Nemmani, a 14-year-old from Texas
An interesting fact about the history-making 2019 competition: It didn’t really have a winning word. A full eight students were declared co-winners after completely running out of the list of challenging spelling bee words without a single mistake. Must’ve been a pretty sharp field, with hard spelling bee words like auslaut and erysipleas to contend with.
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Sources:
- Scripps National Spelling Bee: “100 years of the Bee”
- Vox: “The 2019 National Spelling Bee ended in an unprecedented 8-way tie”
