Spelling Bee (How many can you get out of 20?)

NRO's The Corner ^ | 6-4-08 | John Derbyshire

[SeafoodGumbo]

A friend reminds me of the classic 1955 Esquire spelling test. In his words:

Not one of eight hundred editors, teachers, proof readers, etc. got a perfect score on a test of sixty words. The test included the following twenty words, which were the twenty misspelled by the most test-takers. Notice that none of the usual stumbling blocks — separate, embarrass, inveigle, etc. — is in the list.

When this test was given to a broad range of average Americans, six was the median score, twelve was attained by one person in ten, and eighteen "put you on the level of a university English professor." (NOTE: This was five decades ago. Does anyone believe people would do as well today?)

Here are the words, grotesquely misspelled. Good luck!

        1.  ass-uh-9
        2.  brag-uh-doe—C-O
        3.  rare-uff-I
        4.  lick-wuff-i
        5.  puh-vill-yun
        6.  ver-mill-yun
        7.  im-pah-stir
        8.  mock-uh-sun
        9.  uh-komuh-date
        10. kon-sen-sus
        11. roe-ko-ko
        12. tittle-8
        13. sack-ruh-lijus
        14. may-uh-naze
        15. im-pray-sorry-O
        16. in-ock-U-late
        17. sooper-seed
        18. obly-gahto
        19. dessuh-Kate
        20. re-sussuh-tate

I got the professorial 18; but then, I darn well should — words are my living.

[Windflier]

Well, I’ll be darned. I have always prided myself on my spelling ability, but I only got six right, out of the twenty words listed.

Shoot!

[Just another Joe]

I got 16 right, 4 wrong.

The 4 I got wrong had all the right letters but the doubles got me.