Scripps Spelling Bee words I will try to use in everyday speech

I only caught the end of the Spelling Bee last week or so, I must not watch enough ABC shows to be warned that it is coming because I miss most of it every year. There were several words I want to continue using in regular conversation.

In Round 13

hyphaeresis - omission of sound, syllable or letter from word. "The word o'er in the middle of a word is an example of hyphaeresis." Now I have a fancier name than contraction for when the church hymn omit syllables such as in o'er and heav'n. I sing both syllables anyway. By the way, contraction is a shortening of a word, syllable, or word group by omission of internal letters, is it the same thing?

Kulturkampf - culture wars, or culture struggle. Wikipedia says it refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Chancellor of the German Empire, Otto von Bismarck. I think I will use it out of its original context for any culture struggle. German words always sound great in English usage.


In Round 14

Introuvable - impossible to find. Such as the definitions for some of these words. French words always sound great in English usage as well.

(needless to say, Blogger spellcheck is not familiar with these words)
(Dr. Bill Long watched the whole thing and has commentary, essays and definitions for many of the words here I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII)

There, Their, They're

They're saying their questions are over there.

Take the They're/Their/There quiz to see whether you use them correctly.

I got 100%, but I always grammar and spell check my e-mails because you never know when one of these errors will creep in.

What punctuation mark are you?

Since I am a voracious reader I thought I might find out which of those marks is the one I identify with the most.

Your Score: ellipsis

You scored 46% Sociability and 82% Sophistication!

Your life can be difficult because of your insecurities, but you should know that it isn't your fault. YOU didn't ask to be thrown in around thirty times per page in every bodice-ripper on the shelf! Those who overuse you can kiss your . . . you know. You need to learn to hold your head high and glory in your solitude. You really do have excellent, scholarly tastes. You must never forget that your friend, the period, will be there to support you at the end of every sentence where you truly belong, and, if what is left out is as important as what is said, why, then you are as vital as the alphabet!

Find out for yourself which punctuation mark your are.

(via the Exploding Aardvark)