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The Scripps National Spelling Bee has reached a point of nail-biting tension, as 11 brain boxes from across 50 states have made it through to this year’s final.
It comes after a tight semi-final – which took place yesterday at Gaylord National Resort and convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland – in which nine contestants were eliminated from the word-battle competition after they failed to spell their words correctly.
These 11 teenaged contestants ploughed through to the final, but can you match their brainpower?
Check out the winning, rarely-heard words below, along with their pronunciations and meanings.
The eleven finalists who are vying to be crowned winner and the words that got them through
Dhruv Subramanian, 12, sponsored by San Ramon Valley Rotary Club
Word – ébauchoir
Pronunciation – ey-boh-shwar
Meaning – (noun) – A chisel used to roughhew sculpture
Dhruv Subramanian, 12, sponsored by San Ramon Valley Rotary Club
Vikrant Chintanaboina, 14, sponsored by San Ramon Valley Rotary Club
Word – Sacalait
Pronunciation – Sack-uh-ley
Meaning – French term for a white crappie, a silvery North American sunfish
Vikrant Chintanaboina, 14, sponsored by San Ramon Valley Rotary Club
Shradha Rachamreddy, 13, sponsored by San Ramon Valley Rotary Club
Word – Loratidine
Pronunciation – Lor-ah-tee-deen
Meaning – An antihistamine medicine that helps with the symptoms of allergies
Shradha Rachamreddy, 13, sponsored by San Ramon Valley Rotary Club
Arth Dalsania, 14, sponsored by SAGE Publishing
Word – Anabibazon
Pronunciation – An-a-bib-azon
Meaning – The ascending node of the moon’s orbit with the ecliptic
Arth Dalsania, 14, sponsored by SAGE Publishing
Dev Shah, 14, sponsored by SNSB Region One Bee
Word – poliorcetics
Pronunciation – pol-ee-or-setic
Meaning – The art of conducting and resisting sieges
Dev Shah, 14, sponsored by SNSB Region One Bee
Aryan Khedkar, 12, sponsored by Oakland Schools Education Foundation
Word – oblatio
Pronunciation – uh-blay-shio
Meaning – A term used, particularly in ecclesiastical use, for a solemn offering, sacrifice or presentation to God
Aryan Khedkar, 12, sponsored by Oakland Schools Education Foundation
Sarah Fernandes, 11, sponsored by Omaha Sports Commission
Word – retablo
Pronunciation – reh-tab-low
Meaning – A frame or shelf enclosing decorated panels or revered objects above and behind an altar
Sarah Fernandes, 11, sponsored by Omaha Sports Commission
Pranav Anandh, 14, sponsored by Delaware County Intermediate Unit
Word – polissoir
Pronunciation – pol-iss-war
Meaning – A polishing or grinding implement or instrument
Pranav Anandh, 14, sponsored by Delaware County Intermediate Unit
Tarini Nandakumar, 12, sponsored by Sweet Success ATX
Word – papaloi
Pronunciation – pap-ah-lwar
Meaning – A male voodoo priest especially in Haiti. Compare: mamaloi
Tarini Nandakumar, 12, sponsored by Sweet Success ATX
Surya Kapu, 14, sponsored by The City Journals
Word – zwitterion
Pronunciation – tsvit-er-ahy-uhn
Meaning – A molecule or ion having separate positively and negatively charged groups
Surya Kapu, 14, sponsored by The City Journals
Charlotte Walsh, 14, sponsored by Fairfax County Council PTA
Word – sorge
Pronunciation – sorge
Meaning – A philosophical term denoting the uniquely human activity of caring or worrying about things
Charlotte Walsh, 14, sponsored by Fairfax County Council PTA
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
