hasn't yet declared spelling bee day a national holiday, some of our competitors are stuck at work. are onour competition the hill for late votes. we will do things differently and have the journalists compete for their champion and when our politicians arrived, they will battle it out and the winners of each round will go head-to-head to find out who is the champion. let's get started. competing for the press team this year, we have our defending champion, alexandra petri from "the washington post." [applause] i'm still smarting because she beat me last year. john donnelly of cq roll call, a long time press club member. from nr, -- npr, my former colleague. .oey from buzzfeed alex from the and josh from the ericngton post and finally this is a great lineup of fierce competitors select have a round of applause and now, i would like to turn to scripts and they will go over the rules of the competition. >> hello, everyone. i am one of the eight spellers who won the 2019 scripps national spelling bee in may. [applause] theall ourselves octo-champs. [laughter] it is a great honor and privilege to be here today. i would like to thank the scripps national spelling bee and the national press club for inviting me to be part of the event. tonight, i will be one of your judges. although each contestant will compete to be the champion of tonight's event, they will also be competing for their team. each time they spell correctly, they will earn their team, either the press team or the politicians team, one point. first we will conduct the press bee, and then the politicians bee. the winner of each individual bee will compete in a final, head-to-head competition to declare the ultimate winner of tonight's event. yearrs of the press, this you have the opportunity to earn extra points for your team. don't worry, we flow give the politicians the same chance when it is their turn. three rounds tonight, with the theme "fake news." [laughter] in each round, after dr. bailey gives you your word, you will have a chance to say whether the item he said is real or fake without being given additional word information. if you are correct, you can earn youextra team point before spell the word. the three rounds are fake versus real headlines, fake versus real animals and fake versus real geographical locations. dr. bailey will announce when we are starting a "fake news" round. when it is your turn to spell, you can ask dr. bailey the following information about your word. part of speech, etymology, definition, if there are alternate pronunciations, and if he may provide the word in a sentence. you will only be eliminated from tonight's competition when you misspell for the second time. myer your first misspelling, co-judge and 1983 scripps national champion mr. blake giddens will ring the spell. [bell] if you misspell for a second time, i will ring this bell. [bell] if all the spellers in a round misspell for the second time, all spellers in the round will be reinstated and a new round will begin and you will spell in the original order. if i ring the big bell, it means you have been eliminated from the competition and can exit the stage. if only one speller spells correctly in a round, a new, one-word round will begin and the speller will be given opportunity to spell the next word on the list, the anticipated winning word. if he speller succeeds incorrectly spelling the anticipated winning word in this one-word around, the speller will be declared the champion of the press bee and will compete against the winner of the politicians bee later this evening. now that we are done going over the rules, are we ready for the bee to begin? [applause] good luck to everyone. let's get started. [applause] >> howdy, y'all. i'm doc bailey, pronounce her or this bee -- pronouncer for this bee and the scripps national spelling bee. is everything in readiness? all right. alexandra. [applause] for this round i will be reading first, because i am a dad. "a limbo champion walks into a bar. he gets disqualified." [laughter] disqualified. >> i was wondering if it would be limbo. >> disqualified, is that my word or a hint? >> that is your word. >> "disqualified" - d-o [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> john, are you a dad? >> yes. >> ok. >> it is inappropriate to make a dad joke, if you are not a dad. in that case it is called a "faux pa." [groans] your word is "faux." >> i thought that was just advice. >> my word is faux. >> is ambling something that is usually genuine and a better quality, imitation. >> f-a-u-x. >> correct. [applause] >> daniella, why can't you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom? >> that's a great question for a radio reporter. [laughter] >> it's because the "p" is silent. [groans] pterodactyl. >> could you say it one more time? >> pterodactyl. >> [spelling word] [bell] >> all right. our first. >> pterodactyl is spell -- [spelling word] thank you. toso, cosmetic surgery used be such a taboo subject. now you can talk about botox, and nobody raises an eyebrow. [laughter] is "taboo." >> taboo. t-a-b-o-o. >> correct. [applause] >> howdy. the bandheard of called 923 megabytes? probably nobody has, because they haven't had a gig yet. [laughter] [groans] >> i will be here all night. [laughter] your word is "megabyte." >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] wait, you don't want to hear a joke about potassium? "k." [groans] [laughter] potassium. >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> what is the biggest enemy of the caterpillar? i don't think this joke has legs. [laughter] [applause] >> that's better than my answer. [laughter] >> your word is "caterpillar." >> caterpillar. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> ok. news"s one of the "fake rounds, "news headlines." so after i give you the headline, you get to tell me whether it is fake or not. >> all right. [laughter] >> for an extra point. pop-up national park offers 500 square feet of pristine wilderness for next two days." >> this is "the onion." it is a fake headline, a fake real news headline, if you see what i'm saying. [laughter] >> we do, and you are right. pristine. >> pristine. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] "lollapalooza go friendly initiative, making plastic water bottles too expensive to afford." >> real. [bell] >> that doesn't count as a miss, does it? onion another headline. iative.rd is init >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> john legend defends "instagram husband" status following criticism. [laughter] >> i'm going to say that's fake. ooh. [laughter] real.s >> wow. >> gets from "the independent." criticism. >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> "football program in jeopardy after high school allocates women"0 to "little production." >> it feels like a trick. >> they all are. >> fake? >> it's vague. -- fake. [laughter] [applause] >> a $500,000 "little women" production would be worth it. [laughter] ." so, "allocates >> allocate. >> allocates. >> [spelling word] correct. [applause] >> "billie eilish" defended by cyborg magazine cover. >> real. >> it is real. [applause] >> cyborg. a bionic human being. >> ok. again? say it >> cyborg. hmm. i have no idea. s-y-b-o-r-g. [bell] c-y-b-o-r-g-. makes --us pitcher amphibious pitcher makes debut." >> fake. >> it is real. >> able to live both on land and on water. >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> "man sheds 120 pounds after being hypnotized into thinking he had gastric bypass surgery." >> modern medicine. [laughter] soundsng to say, that just crazy enough to be real. i will say real. >> yeah, it's real. >> hypnotized. >> the past tense, like in the headline. obviously. ok. [laughter] hypnotized. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> this round is called "happy cb." at the 2019 np mojito. >> mojito -- [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> cosmopolitan. >> cosmopolitan. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> americano. this word could be confused with another word. is a cocktail made from sweet vermouth, bidders, and -- b itters, and soda water. >> never had it, but sounds wonderful. americano. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> daquiri. >> daquiri. [spelling word] >> correct. >> kir. >> can you use it in a sentence? >> amelie always orders a kir at e,r favorite parisian brasseri made from white wine and creme d e cassis. >> it is french origin? >> is the name of a french politician and clergyman. >> can you say it again? >> kir. -- hmm. k-i-e-r? oh, yeah. [bell] it is spelled k-i-r. alex a big hand. [applause] >> appletini. actually want a definition of that. >> an appletini is an apple flavored cocktail typically by vodka with apple juice or apple lacour. >> what is the etymology? >> an english word and what is probably a name. >> appletini. [spelling word] >> correct. >> glug. >> if i can't get this one right -- of origin? language old saxon where that came to english from swedish. >> can you use it in a sentence? >> it is a swedish hot punch, served usually as a christmas drink and made from a sweetened anced mixture of wine, brandy or whiskey and containing almonds, raisins and usually orange peel. "each evening a bowl of hot glug awaited the returning skiers." >> and the pronunciations are "glug?"and [laughter] g-l-u-g? to say [bell] g-l-o-g-g. >> ok. [laughter] >> ok. ros is another "fake news" und, so i will just give you the word or the item and you tell me whether it is fake or real. oh, and it is geography. >> cool. [laughter] >> ok. pago-pago. >> i'm pretty sure that's a real place. >> it is real. the southa town, on pacific ocean, capital of american samoa. ago-pago?k it is p >> correct. [applause] >> manana. >> um. could you say it again? >> manana. >> it's real. >> it is real. >> totally. [laughter] pah city and capital of seaport onbahrain, a the persian gulf. >> [spelling word] that it. >> correct. [applause] >> brigadoon. in a t is a fake place, real play. >> yes. >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> asgard. >> fake. >> it's fake. you repeat the word? >> asgard. norseme of the gods, from mythology. other alternate pronunciations? >> justl the two. >> asgard. [spelling word] [bell] a-s-g-a-r-d. >> yerevan. [laughter] real. >> yes, israel. >> a city -- yes, it is real. >> a city and the capital of armenia. >> yerevan. yerevan. >> yerevan. i've never heard of this. um. yerevan. are there any other pronunciations? >> there is just "yerevan." [spelling word] [bell] y-e-r-e-v-a-n." >> shangri-laa. >> fake. >> that's right. [laughter] >> shangri-la. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> there is a-. [laughter] -- a hyphen. [laughter] but you don't have to say anything like that. >> fake place, real hyphen. >> so, you may not believe it, but all of these are real, apparently. a new round of winds. >> winds? >> winds. gregale. maybe? a gray gale, >> i don't know what i gray gale is, but this is a gregale. >> can you use it in a sentence? >> certainly. blows so strongly on the island of malta, it sometimes approaches hurricane force and imperils shipping. >> so it is on malta? [laughter] what is its origin? >> let's see. originally latin, through greek and italian before becoming english. >> quite a journey. [laughter] i have to say, it being from malta is really throwing me. >> maltese gregale. >> so it is a strong wind, i take it. >> strong and gold? wind.ong, cold, northeast >> i will go with my impulse, erroneous though it may be. [spelling word] [bell] yes. [laughter] g-r-e-g-a-l-e. ready? harmattan. >> oh, boy. >> can i have the origin? >> yes. word thatcame from a perhaps took it from arabic. an african language. >> gaharmattan. n wind.y, dust-ladeb harmattan. >> on the atlantic coast of africa. >> hmm. i'll go with -- [spelling word] [bell] h-a-r-m-a-t-t-a-n. >> like a tribute in "the hunger games" up there. [laughter] >> ok. this one has a possible confusion, so i will define it. oom," a hot, dry, violent wind laden with dust from asian and african deserts. >> what is the origin of that word? >> it is from arabic. simoom. >> can you say it one more time? >> simoom. >> simoom. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] [laughter] williwaw. >> can you use it in a -- whatever? >> a sudden, violent gust of called land air common on mountainous coasts of high latitude. >> what is the origin? >> it is of unknown origin. [laughter] >> there were two pronunciations? or williwaw. vidal's name of gore first novel based on his experience stationed in a ship in the aleutians during world war ii. williwaw.w, or [spelling word] w - [laughter] [applause] [spelling word] [bell] -l-i-w-a-w.w-i-l [applause] >> haboob. >> haboob. >> origin? >> from arabic. >> [spelling word] >> correct. >> etesian, an adjective. >> what is the language of origin? >> is from a greek part with an english combining form. "etesian." >> can you say it one more time? etesian." >> all right. it sounds like maybe it's the french word for past tense. i'm confused by this word, but i will go with -- [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] [laughter] news" round, ke critters real and fake. >> all right. >> roc. >> like "the rock?" [laughter] duane john -- dwayne johnson? or like the bird? probably the bird. [laughter] moreugh he does eat a lot -- than people usually. if it is the bird, i think it is just r-o-q. >> so, ok. >> i should say it is not a real bird, it in the arabian nights. >> yes, fake. >> and then the spelling. >> [spelling word] [bell] >> it is r-o-c. hmm. fake news! [laughter] [applause] >> kawatimundi -- coatimundi. >> real? >> yes, real. >> could you spell it for me? [laughter] itif i have to spell it, means you got it wrong. >> i may still, but let's wait and see. can you repeat it for me, and give me the origin, please? >> i have some variants. coatimundi. that is the one i use. >> me, too. [laughter] >> [spelling word] [bell] c-o-a-t-i-m-u-n-d-i-. [laughter] [applause] saiga. >> saiga. >> real or fake? >> saiga. fake. is real.it >> that is not elimination. that comes next. [laughter] what is the origin? >> from russian, which took it from an extinct turkic language. >> could you use it in a sentence? >> the most outstanding feature swollenaiga is its snout with downward-directed nostrils. it is a sheep-like antelope of siberia and eastern russia. the male has ringed horns and tufts of long hair beneath the eyes and ears. >> sounds like my father. [laughter] [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] that's for jerry cheslow. [applause] >> this word could be confused with a similar word, so i will give you the definition. that's right, i can't do that yet, but wait before you spell it. [pronouncing word] >> fake. >> it is real. >> a tropical south american crested bird that is somewhat smaller than a pheasant with plumage marks and a strong, musky smell. the young of which have a well-developed claw on the firsthand, second finger on the wing by means of which they climb about. [laughter] it say you've got it again. >> hoatzin. >> blake doesn't think you have it. >> he does. >> [spelling word] it's spanish? came to originally, it english from spanish. >> hoatzin. [laughter] [applause] >> hoatzin. [laughter] >> it is also called "stink bird." [laughter] hoatzin. that right, blake? hmm. hoatzin. any other help you can give me would be appreciated. [laughter] >> well, i don't want to give the definition again. it's a stink bird. [laughter] it is a south american crested bird. [spelling word] h-o-a-t-z-i-n. >> oh. [applause] >> i'm really scared right now. i've never been this scared in my entire life. >> chupacabra. [laughter] can you use it in a sentence, please? >> we need real or fake first. >> right. thoseis this one of things where you say it is fake but it is actually real, like a tasmanian devil where everyone things of it is one thing but it is actually another thing and you are like, that is real? i think it is fake. >> yes. >> ok. [laughter] >> although we don't know for sure. we don't have cameras everywhere. [laughter] >> and even if we did. >> sure. can you use it in a sentence? >> the first reported sighting cabra was in march 1995 in puerto rico. >> any alternate pronunciations? yes. [pronouncing word] >> all right. i will go with -- [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> did the politicians get here yet? [laughter] oh, hey. [laughter] just so you can watch the slaughter. -- byer?on buyer i just started covering your beat at wamu. [applause] palatalize. >> a sentence please. >> english speakers palatalize both n's in the word "onion." >> alternate pronunciation? >> there is just the one. palatalize, when you pronounce with your tongue near or touching the hard roof of the mouth. >> [spelling word] [bell] don.bye, [laughter] [applause] >> p-a-l-a-t-a-l-i-z-e. >> if you spell this word correctly and in the next, you will be the champion, but if you misspell, danielle is back in the competition. >> got it. hi, danielle. [laughter] >> stereophonic. >> first, i think it is real, right? [laughter] we are out of that. ok. can you use it in a sentence, please? >> most television sets are now equipped with stereophonic speakers. >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> one more word. if air expels this right, he is the champion, -- eric spells this right, he is the champion and if you don't you're both back in. >> hi again. molinary. >> language of origin? >> a latin element and a english combining form. >> use it in a sentence please? in thefirm specializes manufactory of millinery equipment. >> that is real helpful. >> the definition? >> of or related to a mill or the process of grinding. [laughter] i think i really should have bribed you earlier. let's see. more time? molinary. >> it seems like it should be -- but then you have the other thing. [laughter] ok. hi. [laughter] how are you doing there? [spelling word] i'm not looking over there. i cap look anywhere. everyone -- can't look anywhere. everyone is -- [spelling word] [bell] ok. you're both back. -l-i-n-a-r-y. >> a newly sun life. lease on life. is jennifer wexton here? i also started covering your district. [laughter] >> carpathian. >> carpathian? >> situated two or related to the carpathian mountains of central europe. >> [spelling word] correct. [applause] >> embalment. [spelling word] [bell] embalmment. if you spell this correctly you will be the champion. >> how much time do we have? >> eglantine. an old-world rose with stout, recurve prickles and light to deep rosy pink single flowers. >> right, we mentioned that every day on the newscast. [laughter] what is the origin? >> first part from an originally latin word, from france before becoming english and the second part is english combined with a french form. >> come on! [laughter] >> can you use it in a sentence? e, noted fortin fragrant foliage, can grow to a height of six feet. >> can you pronounce it again, but really slowly? eg-len-teen.e, >> [spelling word] [bell] now what happens? e-g-l-a-n-t-i-n-e. you're both back in. [applause] >> can we maybe just to rock paper scissors? >> what you have gotten that? >> yeah. [laughter] >> we knew the answer. orologian. -- horologium. for measuring time. >> origin? >> it is from latin. >> could you use it in a sentence? >> a sundial was ancient egyptian' horologium. [spelling word] [bell] yikes. h-o-r-o-l-o-g-i-u-m. >> so i am still here. [laughter] isocracy. >> definition? >> equality of power or rule, especially a system of government in which all have equal political power. >> any alternate pronunciations? >> just the one. isocracy. >> what is the language of origin? >> greek. >> can you say it one more time? >> isocracy. >> isocracy. [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] milenese. >> the definition? ofa native or resident milan, italy. >> what is the language of origin? [laughter] italian from an geographical location with an italian combining word. >> milanese. [spelling word] > >> correct. [applause] >> congratulations, eric. congratulations. eric geller is the press champion for the evening. [applause] >> thank you very much. [laughter] >> oh. right. >> so, congratulations to eric geller. that was a heated competition at the end. i do have one question for the judges. a character ine" the movie -- >> i think so. >> thank you. i didn't know it was a flower. [laughter] we will move to the politicians competition in a couple of minutes, but first we will do a raffle. we will give you guys some treats. time for people to get a drink, whatever you might want to do, and without further ado i want to introduce our very patient team of politicians. i hope that they are all here. congressman jamie raskin of maryland's eighth district. [applause] a former champion, representative don buyer of virginia. from california's 25th district, representative katie hill. [applause] and from virginia 10, congresswoman jennifer wexton. [applause] you better do well. representative chris pappas from new hampshire one. [applause] welcome. finally, from new mexico's first district, representative debra haaland. [applause] i will turn it back over to our team of judges and pronounce her's and bell ringers. thank you. good luck everybody. >> hello, everyone. won one of the spellers who the 2019 scripps national spelling be. [applause] theall ourselves octo-champs but tonight i am honored to be one of your judges. before we begin it is time for your briefing. the press team has already competed. they earned 43 points and declared their champion, eric geller representing politico. [applause] you will earn the politicians team one point each time you spell correctly. new this year, you will have the .ption to earn extra points there are three rounds tonight with the theme of fake news. in each round, after you are giving your word you will have a chance to say whether the item he said is real or fake. without being given any additional word information. fact from tell fiction, you can earn one extra point for your team before you even spell the word. fakehree fake news are versus real headlines, fake versus real animals and fake versus real geographical locations. dr. bailey will announce one word starting a fake news round. when it is your turn to spell, you can ask dr. bailey the following about your word, part of speech, etymology, definition, if there are alternate pronunciations, and if he may provide the word in a sentence. you will only be eliminated tonight when you miss spell for the second time. after your first misspelling, my co-judge and 1983 scripps bee championling will ring this belt. when you miss the second time i will ring this bell. if i ring the big bell that means you have been a limited from the competition and can exit the stage. bee toready for the begin? [applause] to everyone. let's get started. [applause] >> we are on the same team. >> the first round has some of the best jokes ever. i'm going to be reading the sentence first. so how can you tell if a joke is a dad joke? >> you got me. >> it is just apparent. [laughter] >> not all parents are dads. your words. >> i thought of that end i dismissed that possibility. debates wherehe you put the losers on the ends and we work our way up? [laughter] debv is in good shape. is apparent. >> your word is apparent? all right. so, will you use the word you want me to spell in a sentence? >> i just did. that was my joke. [laughter] it is apparent when it is a dad joke. word]elling >> correct. [applause] >> good job miss williamson. >> boomerang. what do you call it boomerang that never comes back? >> i don't know. >> a stick. >> boomerang. boomerang. >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> hello. wood? do you carve >> i don't know. >> whittle by whittle. your word is whittle. it has a homonym, this is to pare or cut off chips from the surface of wood with a knife. >> >> correct. [applause] -- >> [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> i don't know if you can see these but they have little bees on them. they are super cute. i will treasure mine always unless i get this word wrong. >> how many tickles does it take to make octopodes laugh? [laughter] >> i don't know. how many tickles does it take? >> 10 tickles. [laughter] octopides.d is i always say it the other way. >> i was hoping it was tickles. [laughter] octopodes. >> correct. [applause] >> hello. >> how would you find will smith after a blizzard? >> i have no idea. and i am from new hampshire, we get a lot of snow. >> follow the fresh prints. [laughter] >> they are dad jokes. blizzard. >> blizzard. >> correct. [applause] >> what do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinoceros? an ele-noceros? i don't know. >> elephiknow. rhinoceros is your word. rceros. rhinoceros. [bell] >> it is rhinoceros. >> congresswoman haaland knew that, she just went too fast. >> this is a fake news round. these are news headlines. ex-prisoner models kim kardashian west lingerie. models kim kardashian west lingerie. >> -- she have west and east? >> i know i'll is little about her as it is possible to know. >> kim kardashian west. wow. [laughter] all right. refresh my memory. ex-prisonerine is models kim kardashian west lingerie. true.t can't be >> yes. >> that has to be true. true i'mid it wasn't sure i could have found an example. >> your word is lingerie. >> do i get a point for that? >> yes. >> lingerie. gerie. >> correct. [applause] >> ended medical animal trekker joins search for dartmoor lynx. >> true. >> it is real. >> eni gmatic. >> enigmatic. >> correct. [applause] swifticking taylor realizes it is too late to call off assassination after katy perry -- >> false. [laughter] [applause] taylor. mess with >> it is fake. >> good. >> your word is assassination. assination. >> correct. [applause] >> connoisseur only one not enjoying wine. >> fake. >> it is fake. >> a connoisseur is an expert in a subject. connoisseur. sseur.- conoi [bell] >> it is connoisseur. >> what have you got? [laughter] >> students studying to become nervous for part where you practice on cadavers. >> true. >> it is fake. >> aww. >> cadavers is your word. >> cadaver. >> cadavers. >> s. i almost put a z but s. >> correct. [applause] >> elective cesarean moved you to staff shortage. moved duee cesarean to staff shortage? >> that sounds true. [laughter] cesarean. [laughter] >> i should have gotten rhinoceros. cesarean. arean. >> cesareans. >> s. >> correct. [applause] >> notice how all these democrats are good at telling fake news from the truth? [laughter] [applause] >> it is now time for happy hour at the 2019 bee. >> oh jeez. >> mai tai. it is a cocktail made with run, and for juices, garnished with fruit and shaken with shaved ice. >> will you forgive me a digression? are you aware i went out, i think it was last year or the gio? iefore, on pinot gri declared myself april -- a prohibitionist. i have never heard this way before. mai tai. language of extraction? >> it is from tahitian. >> that clears it up. definition? >> a cocktail made with rum, lime and fruit juices shaken with shaved ice and garnished with fruit. >> what kind of fruit? all right. spelling? [laughter] >> all right. jeez. can i call on katie hill? well. and it is one word, right? >> it is an entry in the dictionary. [laughter] >> i don't want to go out on mai tais, but, do you like my tie? i'm going to go with mai tai. >> correct. [applause] >> margarita. a cocktail consisting of tequila, lime or lemon juice and an orange flavored liqueur. >> margherita. [bell] x margarita is spelled margarita. >> you just made a face. i don't know how i feel about that. >> try this. says iraq. -- sazorac. a trademark used for a cocktail consisting of bourbon, flavoring, bidders and sugar stirred with ice, strained and flavored with a twist of lemon peeled and served. >> origin? >> it is from a trademark. the dictionary doesn't want to go there so they just call it trademark. in 2008, it was made the official cocktail of new orleans. >> is there an alternate pronunciation? >> just the one. >> ok. araq? [bell] >> it is spelled sazerac. >> i'm a little apprehensive. >> it gets much worse. >> i am a lot apprehensive. >> gimlet. >> gimlet. >> correct. [applause] >> mimosa. >> cingular? -- singluar? >> cingular. >> mimosa. >> correct. [applause] >> disclaimer, i also don't drink. >> bellini. lini?l >> correct. [applause] >> i like those jennifer signs out there. those jennifer wexton signs. around.m >> this is a real or fake crown, this is geography. i will give the pronunciation and you tell me whether it is real or fake or tell the judges. mopon. >> is that a fake pronunciation? >> it is a real or fake place. real or fake place? >> or geographic term. belmopon? reminds me of emolument. i think it is real. >> it is real. >> so is emolument. >> it is a city and capital of belize in the central part of the country. belizey and capital of in the central part of the country. his -- >> is that my word? >> it is. hmm.lmopan. alternate pronunciation you go >> just the one. >> are you sure? >> i'm sure people pronounce it all different ways. that is true of a lot of words. . and we determined the language echoes >> i haven't told you and the language entry in the dictionary is this word is a geographical name. i have been arguing with those editors for a long time that they should get more information about proper names but they don't. i really have been arguing. >> that is my main problem. well. hmm. you see my dilemma, right? mop -- [sigh] i'm going to regret this so much. an? >> correct. [applause] >> coruscant. >> i'm going to say that israel? >> it is fake. >> it is from the star wars movies and books. >> while. my daughter is going to kill me. me.ine would >> pronounce it one more time. came to english from latin. >> corosant? [bell] [laughter] [applause] >> it is spelled coruscant. ok. ready for this one? >> no. gadugu. >> real. >> yes. thes the capital of landlocked country of burkina ouagadougou. >> wagadulu? [bell] [applause] ouagadougou.led >> of course, katie. of course it is. pandora. >> fake. >> yes, it is fake. >> pandora. >> correct. [applause] >> i'm glad we got burkina faso out of the way. baku. >> it is a real place. >> yes it is real. >> baku. >> correct. [applause] >> caucain. >> cocaine? where is that? >> nice try. >> i have a 50% chance of getting right. i will say it is real. >> it is fake. >> it is a fictional land of plenty in medieval myth. cockaigne. well. >> like the folksong the big rock candy mountain, it describes an american hobo's version of cockaigne. >> what origin? >> comes from french to english. they have cigarette trees there, apparently. >> cigarette trees? >> in the big rock candy mountain. >> my dream place. [laughter] old song.n >> ok. i'm familiar with big rock candy mountain. i could certainly spell that instead. that movie was one of my favorites. cockaigne. acane. [bell] >> cockaigne -- [applause] >> it is spelled cockaigne. >> i would like to appeal this on behalf of the representative. how can you have an incorrect spelling of a fictional place? [applause] >> it is only spelled one way in the book. i think that is the idea. >> all right. >> mistral. this is a new round, this is a kind of wind. these are all kinds of winds. >> repeat the word if you would. >> mistral. mistralovence, the sometimes dries out to the vines and grapes. it is a violent, cold, dry wind of the mediterranean province. >> mistral. >> correct. [applause] >> this is one of my favorite words i have never been able to pronounce. up until now. nta-pecker. see why we don't use this word in the national spelling bee. >> origin? >> from a mexican greeted -- geographical name. wind.ent cold >> tehuantepccar [bell] epecar.nt [applause] >> the winds have blown you willy-willy. >> wasn't that in the earlier round? willy-willy. it is probably from a native name and australia. >> can you use it in a sentence? >> on the drive to alice springs, the group saw a willy willy from afar. it is a tropical cyclone. any alternate pronunciation? >> no. >> i'm going to take a stab at it and say willy willy? >> correct. [applause] >> i never saw a willy willy but i saw a henway. >> this is another fake news round. critters fake and real. babarousa. -- babirusa. >> what type of animal is it? the word.give you >> real or fake? >> real. >> yes. that is one point. quadrupedrge hoglike of the east indies whose i 90 in the male are large and curved coming out through the lips. hmm. >> babirusa. >> babba-roose-a? all right. ok. a.will go with babarus [bell] >> it is babirusa. axolotl. >> axolotl? i will say that is fake. >> it is real. largeis any of many salamanders found in the mountain lakes of mexico and the western united states, being and lose gills and fins while breathing air and then to emerge as an adult salamander. any other. pronunciations? >> just the one. e. i'm going to say axaloatl. [bell] .> it is spelled axolotl [applause] >> well you axolotl of us. [laughter] it is late. i spent the day with mr. lewandowski, so. [laughter] >> umbilicate. >> start again. i heard two different words. >> it is the same word, different pronunciations. umbilicate. >> whether it is a real word are not yet >> we have moved on from there. these are all real words. it means resembling a navel, specifically depressed like a navel. cate., umbili well. it, i wantmight be to give a shout out to all the great people of maryland's eighth congressional district. umbilicate. umbilicate. >> correct. [applause] systemicoid. the reaction of a human following immunization of smallpox. roman originally latin word and another part is in english combining form. vaccinoid. >> vaccinoid. >> correct. [applause] >> you guys are looking diabolical now. tarantella. a folk dance of southern italy. 6/8 time? ok. tarantella. any alternate pronunciations? >> just the one. tarantella. >> anybody know that move? oh somebody does. tarantella. and it is italian? >> yes. it is from italian. then. i'mlla. well going to go with tarentela. [bell] >> it is spelled tarantella. >> mi out? >> you are not out necessarily. if chris spells correctly, he will get another chance. if he spells both those words he is the champion. if he spells the first or second run you are both -- >> can i throw this to him? he is a better speller. >> we will have a few mai tais when this is over. [laughter] noun, the shrine of the guardian gods or spirit in an ancient roman home. >> lararium. >> the origin you go latin. >> figures. lararium. lararium. laroreum. [bell] um.it is spelled larari you are both -- you are both back in. [applause] end?ll this never [laughter] ok. >> this word has a homonym. jurisprudence. this is a singular noun. [laughter] >> wait a second. the word you are giving me is jurisprudence? >> yes. thought it wasi supposed to get harder. >> it depends on who you are. >> this is a beautiful word. jurisprudence. jurisprudence. >> correct. [applause] >> kilimanjaro. >> kilimanjaro. never hiked it. anybody in the room been up kilimanjaro? run them -- renaissance man right there. kilimanjaro. educate us on the origin of the word. >> it is from an african geographical name. it is from a language but they say, they just say great -- geographical name. manjaro [spelling word] >> correct. [applause] >> is this another truth round? >> no. going straight with real words. aticiferous. >> are there alternative pronunciations? >> just the one. it means containing, behringer secreting latex. -- bearing or secreting latex. >> there are animals that secrete latex? >> rubber vines and such. >> ok. forgive me. repeated one more time and i will listen carefully. laticiferous. when chris has it it sounds clear and obvious. i'm going to try that. ciferous. with late [bell] no? >> no. laticiferous is spelled latici v erous. >> that is what i had -- what have done if you hadn't gotten latex involved. >> if we keep going we keep accumulating points for the congressional team. >> only if you get them right. >> hamular. . can you use it in a sentence? >> jeffrey fashioned a crude fishhook from a hamular piece ofh metala. itm means meant at the end into a hook. -- bent at the end into a hook. >> what is the origin? >> from a latin word, the second part is in english combining form. ular.m going to go with ham >> correct. [applause] >> melamine. >> definition? a long one. a resin made from a white crystalline high melting organic phase and an out the hide characterized by resistance to heat and water and good electrical resistance or a plastic made from such a resin. >> that was a mouthful. lamine? >> correct. [applause] ♪ >> you guys act like we are finished. >> thank you for being here. >> congressman? congratulations. eric, come on back up. say my neighbor, -- my .eighbor, it was painful to see now we are down to the final round and i'm sure you are going to do what you did to us last year and pullout scottish words or something horrible like that. that was just mean. anyway, congressman, eric from politico. good luck to you both. [applause] up first. eric is >> noctodiurnal. comprising a sequence of day and night. >> there is only one, do we get like the one thing or is it like the ultimate, ok. hello, congressman. can you say it one more time? todiurnal. >> this was fun, folks. we had fun, didn't we? ctodiurnal?ord] no [bell] diurnal. nocti stay up there. >> ok. i thought you said -- all right. >> keep up the good fight. >> i wish political opponents would give up that easily. [laughter] >> occision. an act or instance of slaughtering. >> can you use it in a sentence? >> kaelin belongs to an organization that discourages the wholesale occision of sea turtles. >> what is the origin? >> latin. >> i have no idea. ision.go with occ >> correct. [applause] >> you get one more. right, youl this will be the champion. beckmesser. it is from a german name. it is a critic or teacher or of music characterized by timid or excessive reliance on rules. emphasizeso unduly minutiae in the presentation or use of knowledge. >> use it in a sentence. >> bethany hated p.m. lessons because her teeth are -- her whoher was a beckmesser made her play scales for half an hour each day. >> let's try [spelling word] bec kmesser. >> correct. [applause] >> thank you to all my congressional colleagues. we are all going to have some mai tais now. >> [indiscernible] >> all right. [applause] congratulations to the congressman, 2019 champion. three fors us to a the politicians, three for the press. thank you to our partners at scripps national spelling the -- spelling bee. we have more to say? champions.team >> you are going to, you are going to announce the team champions? we still have to announce which year.on this can i have your attention for one moment, everybody? the team that won the national press club spelling bee is politicians team. [applause] >> i want to thank the young members of the national press together,utting this the executive director, the national press club journalism institute, the executive laura, who put together this evening. thanks everybody for being here. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ today.h c-span at 6:50 pm, a conversation with speechwriters for former presidents clinton, obama, and bush. >> people think we are just wordsmiths. we are not just wordsmiths. we are part of a policymaking team. comes to life unless it is written down or spoken. especially by the president. >> at 8:00, abortion advocates and opponents discuss roe v. wade at the national constitution center in philadelphia. >> i don't think the current justices will be as brave as justice kennedy. this court ist prepared to overrule roe. day, on, new year's c-span. theress returns for work first week of january. the house has yet to decide on impeachment managers and send articles of impeachment over to the senate. eventually the senate would sit as a jury to hear the case against president trump. we also expect the senate to take up the u.s.-mexico canada trade agreement, which the house approved before leaving for the holidays. and congress will hear president trump deliver the state of union address on february 4. watch the house live on c-span and the senate live on c-span two. this holiday week, book tv is on c-span2 every day with primetime features each night. bernard, carolyn for shea, and danny shapiro talk about their respective memoirs. thursday at 8:30 p.m., sarah my love and her book, the cigarette. friday, donald trump, jr. and his book, triggered. watch this special airing of book tv this holiday week and every weekend on c-span2. >> next, former speechwriters for president clinton, obama, george w. bush, and michelle obama discuss their work and stories from behind the scenes at the white house. this event was hosted by the university of chicago institute of politics.