This hodgepodge of influences is what makes English words so difficult to spell, said Penny Pexman, a psychology professor at the University of Calgary who studies Scrabble players. The spelling bee. Bees originated in the United States in the 19th century, but the best-known is the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which started in 1925. (Last year’s winning word was “moorhen” — a breed of water bird.) We’ve pulled 10 words from past Scripps Bee competitions or training lists.

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