Speed Reads

spelling is hard

It's hard for Californians to spell 'beautiful,' while Hawaiians struggle with 'grateful'

The next time you sit down in Missouri and forget how to spell "sincerely," take comfort in knowing that someone in Alabama is grappling with "cousin."

We can't all be spelling bee champs, but in honor of the kids who actually are competing in the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, Google has released a list of the top "how to spell _____" searches by state. The most-searched word in 11 states is "beautiful," with residents of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin needing assistance.

In Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon, they need help with a classic tongue-twister: "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Floridians are very fancy, struggling with "hors d'oeuvre," while Alaskans need assistance with "veteran," Hawaiians with "grateful," and Iowans with "vacuum." R-E-A-D the E-N-T-I-R-E list at P-E-O-P-L-E.