Spelling confessions: The super-frustrating words we still mess up

Even language lovers struggle with spelling sometimes

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Tomorrow are the semi-final and final rounds of the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Talented orthographers aged 8 to 14 will be tasked with spelling difficult words such as last year's winner, guetapens, or the winner from 2012, cymotrichous.

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Angela Tung's essays on language and culture have appeared at Mental Floss, Quartz, Salon, The Week, The Weeklings, and Wordnik. Her personal essays have appeared at The Frisky, The Huffington Post, and elsewhere.