The National Spelling Bee has accepted the term 'womyn' as a valid spelling in its children's competition.
A representative for the annual spelling contest defended the use of feminist spelling in a statement to Planet Chronicle Digital.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee has garnered attention after its list of study words for third-graders competing in the upcoming spelling competition was made public online.
The school district's contest lists for the 2024-2025 school year include "womyn" as an acceptable alternate spelling for "women" that students can use.
To participate in the national spelling competition, schools must enroll their students in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program. The 2025 National Finals, which will mark the competition's 100th anniversary, will take place next May.
Scripps uses words from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, which has the alternate spelling for "women," as explained by a spokesperson to Planet Chronicle Digital.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee program uses words from the official dictionary, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, during competition. Any correct spelling not marked as archaic or obsolete is accepted. The alternate spelling 'womyn' is included on the study list because it is listed as an alternate spelling for 'women' in Merriam-Webster.
Our study lists aim to incorporate alternate spellings for any words listed in Merriam-Webster. The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary serves as the final authority and sole source for the spelling of all words offered in competition.
According to Merriam-Webster's website, "womyn" is a variant spelling of women used in some feminist contexts, as it omits the "men" ending.
The spelling bee's approval of the term sparked controversy online.
LibsofTikTok, a popular conservative account with 3.8 million followers on X, shared a post that drew hundreds of comments with the statement "You can’t make this up."
"You have to be kidding," Turning Point USA also reacted.
Another user joked, "The Babylon Bee skit has come true," along with a comedy sketch from a right-leaning parody website.
In the skit, a student challenges judges in a spelling bee over the definition of "woman," possibly referencing Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's inability to define the term during her 2022 confirmation hearings.
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