How often does "realschule" -- a German secondary school -- come up in everyday life?
For English speakers, probably not that often. But it was familiar to Iram Kingson (Speller 196).
"I had this word last time I was here, but can I have the definition?" she asked.
She had it last time? Actually, yes.
In 2011, Iram, now a West Virginia eighth grader, spelled it correctly in early rounds. But she didn't make the semifinals.
How is that possible? Because of the words in these early rounds.
Once a student wins a school bee, the main study guide is Spell It!, a booklet with about 1,100 words. That guide doesn't change from year to year. All the words offered in the opening round are from Spell It!.
Because there are only 1,100 words in Spell It!, and because there are about 280 spellers to receive the Spell It! words at the national finals each year, it's not surprising to see the word repeat.
The repetition for Iram was a lucky coincidence.