Can you spell botryoidal? Get set for mental challenge at adult spelling bees

It’s time to change gears from the holiday hoopla and reset yourself with a mental challenge.

On Jan. 13, the Euless Library will host an adult spelling bee competition. Haslet, Keller, Benbrook and Weatherford have plans for their adult spelling bee contests later this month through March, said Eric Terry, Euless senior librarian for adult and teen services.

Sherry Knight, Euless library administrator, said you don’t have to live in Euless to participate in its contest.

“This is not like an elementary school spelling bee where the person stands alone in front of the judges,” Knight said. “The adults are in teams of two to four people.”

Knight said that when the teams are given a word to spell, the members can confer with each other and write their answer on a white board.

Trophies are awarded to the teams with the most points, and families also are welcome to participate as a team, Knight said.

The Euless event was organized last year as a way to get area libraries involved in a fun event for adults and in hopes of having a regional competition, said Terry.

There is no date yet for the regional competition.

There is a National Adult Spelling Bee, March 11 in Long Beach, California, but it is not affiliated with the local spelling bees, said Justin Rudd, national bee organizer.

However, Terry suggested that visiting the Adult Spelling Bee website is a good way to prepare. The website has a practice word list.

Some of the words: clavicle, abhorrence, cantankerous, grotesque, sovereign, cistern, exasperate, feign, penumbra, tourniquet, frangipani, calisthenics, luncheonette, fecund, seismic, traipse and asterisk.

Terry said the winning word in the Euless contest last year was botryoidal, which is defined as having the form of a bunch of grapes.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Can you spell botryoidal? Get set for mental challenge at adult spelling bees."