That Word

I was just reading this post over at Rocks in My Dryer about spelling bees. In the comments, people were discussing the word that they lost spelling bees to and how it is forever burned in their mind. I had to laugh.

I have one, too.

When I was in fifth grade, I won the school-wide spelling bee and went on to compete in the next level, which was a competition in a town that I can no longer remember. I was one of the youngest there and wound up competing against 7th and 8th graders, which I thought was really something. When I was something like tenth from the end, I got a word that I couldn't spell.

It was a word that I had never *heard* of and one that I will never have the opportunity to use in conversation.

Deducibility. D-E-D-U-C-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y. Deducibility. I spelled it "deduceability" and was eliminated from the competition.

Being the sensitive sore loser that I am, I cried. Not in front of all the people, but once I was safely in my mom's car I was practically inconsolable. She promptly took me to Wal-Mart and bought me a ring to cheer me up. Hee! (Thanks, Mommy!)

I did eventually get over losing the competition. But I will never forget that stupid word.