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This technique will create a muscle memory for words that are more difficult to memorize. Just as you write words on paper, writing them in your hand can be a useful trigger to recall spelling when you are confronted them with during a competition. This technique is especially useful because you are allowed to spell words into your hand while onstage at an actual spelling bee. Etymology is incredibly important to understanding how words work in the English language. If you don't know a word, you can often make an educated guess about its spelling depending on what root word(s) it may contain. If you don't know the word "antebellum," for instance, you might be able to recognize the common root of "ante," in the beginning of the word, and guess the rest. "Ante" means "before," and "bellum" means war. So, while you may not have known "bellum," you could piece together that antebellum mean pre-somethingpre-war, in this case. Asking the origin of a word here is important. It can give you a clue to what root the word is derived from - unless it's an eponym. This may sound daunting, but reading the dictionary as if it were a novel is useful for recognizing how root words transform as you progress alphabetically. You will also have maximum exposure to unknown words by reading the dictionary. Pick one, five-page section at a time to read, at random. Watch as words build off of words that have come before them, and notice how spelling is comprised of a connection of words, and their roots. Pick three words from a random page and try using them in a sentence, after spelling them. This will make those words memorable to you. This exercise can also be done with the words on your word list. Reading the dictionary can be more useful than pleasure reading because your brain will be focused solely on learning words and their definitions, rather than complex or literary concepts. Diacritics are the small symbols above words in the dictionary. Learning these will help you hear how a word should be officially pronounced. In the English language, words are often pronounced differently than they look on the page. So, you may have the spelling of a word memorized, but if the bee announcer pronounces it differently than you would, you may not think you know that word. "Diacritic," for example, will be written two other ways in the dictionary. The first shows its syllables: diacritic. The second shows its pronunciation: /dikridik/. These symbols tell you to emphasize the first three letters, with the most emphasis going on the "i" that has a small, horizontal line above it. The written "a" in diacritic will sound more like an "uh," according to this chart. Read the dictionary, recite words aloud to yourself, and write words out on your own. This way, you'll foster your own learning experience unfettered by other people's ideas and associations. Ultimately, you will be on the spelling bee stage by yourself, so it's a good idea to practice techniques that will best serve you when gearing up for the big day. Try to use the words in your everyday vocabulary, instead of just memorizing them, which will help both on the short term and the long term. You can still read for pleasure as you study for a spelling bee, but it must be an active reading practice. That means looking up the pronunciation, context, and definition of words you don't know, even if they aren't on your spelling list. Once a week, remove words that you have successfully learned from your word list. This will allow you to add new words to your list, and avoid wasting study time on those words that are already safely in your mind. The more you see a word, the more it will stick in your brain. Change Post-It notes out once you have had them up for a week. Practice spelling the word out loud whenever you look at the note.
Pretend to write words into the palm of your hand. Learn root words. Read the dictionary. Learn diacritics for pronunciation. Read, recite, and write alone. Look up words you don't know when you read for pleasure. Keep your word list up to date. Post notes with difficult words written on them throughout your house.