[Warning: this is a text heavy post, but appropriately so]

On this Scripps National Spelling Bee Eve, I am reflecting upon a word that I to this day can’t more often than can spell correctly the first time. I misspell this word apparently so bad, that spell checker isn’t quite sure what I mean and is unable to help. What is this word that haunts my written communication every day?

Necessisary …Necessasary…Necissary…Necessary.

When did I earn this spelling badge of shame? Sixth Grade, Mr. Kelly’s class, school spelling bee

Where did I earn this spelling badge of shame? Granville Stuart, 6^th grade pod

What are some synonyms I could just use instead?
essential, needed, required, compulsory, obligatory, indispensable, vital, de rigueur, mandatory

Let us break this down, pretend I made it to the National Spelling Bee (which has exhaustive eligibility criteria) and am set to win the more than $30,000 in cash and prizes along with fame to span the ages and face time on ESPN.

nec·es·sar·y

• Please say the word again: [ néssə sèrree ]
• Please provide a definition:
  

1. required: important in order to achieve a specific result, or desired by authority or convention
2. following inevitably: inevitable given what has happened previously [oh, isn’t this an ironic definition!]
   1. inescapable
3. logically true: logically true because of being impossible to be false, logically unavoidable

• Please provide the part of speech: adjective
• Please provide the language of origin: Middle English necessarie, from Latin necessarius, from necesse necessary, probably from ne- not + cedere to withdraw
• Please provide an alternate pronunciation: [nes-uh-ser-ee]

What would I look like as a “spellebrity”. Let’s discover…

• Spellebrities Favorite Movie: Harry Potter Series (I haven’t seen any of them); also their favorite novel series
• Favorite School Subject: Math (I don’t really remember…)
• Favorite Musician: Taylor Swift (not in my iPod rotation)
• Favorite Board Games: Monopoly (I was more into Candy Land. Hmmm, now Candy Crush?)
• They have corporate sponsors (I have a job)
• Not be older than 15 by August 2012 (drat! so close)

I do share one characteristic in common – Girl. Of the 88 champions since the Bee’s inception in 1925, 47 have been girls, as are 52.3% of this year’s competitors.

I also like bees! But this type of bee (honey variety) is not related to the origin of the spelling bee and scholars are pretty much up in arms about where the word “bee”, as in gathering, derives from. I guess don’t ask them for the origin if that is your word to spell.

Definitely (this is another word I frequently misspell, definately) check out the www.spellingbee.com and tune in this week for some fierce spelling competition.

Please use in a sentence: It is logically unavoidable that Megan will misspell necessary at least once per day given what has happened previously.

What spelling word haunts you?

References:

• http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necessary
  
• Bing Dictionary – necessary
  
• Bee Week Guide – http://internal.spellingbee.com/files/spellingbee.com/BeeWeekGuide_LowRes.pdf
  
• Bee Consulting logo seen in Madrona, iphone