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If your third-grader is competing in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, good news: “W-O-M-Y-N” is now an acceptable spelling of “women.” (What a time to be alive!)
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In fact, “W-O-M-Y-N” is explicitly listed on the National Spelling Bee’s list of 50 “study words” that’s distributed to third-graders.
Nobody knows when spoken language began, but written language developed independently in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Mesoamerica. Presumably, shortly after the emergence of writing, was the emergence of the crotchety, ornery, spinster schoolteacher who’d shame you before the class when you misspelled a word.
And now, the proper spelling of women is “W-O-M-Y-N.”
The National Spelling Bee has disavowed any responsibility. According to them, all the words they used were taken directly from the Merrian-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. Alas, after the Merrian-Webster’s Grammar Gestapos approved of “W-O-M-Y-N,” nothing more could be done.
The Language Lords have spoken. Here’s what a Spelling Bee spokesman told Fox News:
All of the words used in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program are pulled from our official dictionary, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. During competition, our policy is to accept any correct spelling listed in our official dictionary that isn’t marked archaic or obsolete. The alternate spelling ‘womyn’ is therefore included on our study list because it is listed as an alternate spelling for ‘women’ in Merriam-Webster.
In building our study lists, we aim to include alternate spellings for any words that have them listed in Merriam-Webster. The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary is the final authority and sole source for the spelling of all words offered in competition.
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Very respectfully, that’s a steaming load of horse excrement.
(“Excrement: E-X-C-R-E-M-E-N-T. Excrement!” “Correct, thank you. We also would’ve accepted M-S-N-B-C.”)
First of all, there are nearly half-a-million English “words” that Merriam-Webster recognize. In a 50-word spelling guide for third-graders (!), there were obviously thousands of options to choose from. Explicitly including “womyn” on the list wasn’t accidental; it was deliberate.
It’s like a moth to a flame — or a pyro to a Zippo: liberals cannot resist the urge to indoctrinate young children. It’s irresistible. They can’t help themselves, because liberals believe that people think via language, so if you can control the dictionary, you can control how people think and behave.
If you’re a social engineer, that’s irresistible: indoctrinate the youth and build a better tomorrow.
Always better to start while they’re still little kids.
Second, let’s not pretend that Merriam-Webster consists of mystical monks who descend from Mount Sinai once a year, ready to share their super-advanced linguistic knowledge with us “unwashed masses.” Merriam-Webster is simply a for-profit company. (You can visit their website.) There’s nothing magical, mystical, or “official” about the words they include or exclude.
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They’re people with agendas. Some agendas are political; others are corporate. The conceit that the employees of Merriam-Webster are the ultimate arbiters of the English language is silly.
They’re no more authorities than you or me.
Language is a tool to communicate thoughts. Changing the words — or P.C.ing the spelling — doesn’t change the actual condition. You can call a woman a womyn, a lady, a female, a gal, a girl, a lass, a dame, a madam, a miss, or a babe. Whatever: things are what they are.
Reality is independent of our language.
Besides, all words are made up. Just ask Thor: