If you're a kid learning how to write, or an adult speaker of a language with sensible spelling, English spelling can seem like a cruel prank. And even if you're a completely literate adult native ...

Many people were spellbound as they watched the newest Scripps National Spelling Bee champions — Gokul Venkatachalam and Vanya Shivashankar — correctly sound out scherenschnitte and nunatak in order ...

Johnny in Topeka can’t read, but Janne in Helsinki is effortlessly finishing his storybooks. Such a disparity may be expected by now, but the reason might come as a surprise: It probably has much less ...

We take for granted that English is filled with weird spellings — 'b's that are silent, 'gh' and 'ph' that sounds like 'f,' 'i's and 'e's that switch inexplicably, and more — making it complicated for ...

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The first bee was held in ...

Washington University in St. Louis provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. Children who compete in spelling bees often dazzle with their ability to spell complex words. In this year’s ...