After years of laughably easy* championship-winning words like appoggiatura, succedaneum, and scherenschnitte--and after back-to-back years with dual champions--the Scripps National Spelling Bee will finally broaden its championship level word list from 25 to 75, and allow judges to dive into more difficult words if they feel the need.
The bee will not have an endless supply of words though. As the bee's executive director, Paige Kimble, told the Associated Press. "We did not want the specter of the championship being determined by the endurance level of a young child," she said. (Spellers range from 6-14 years old.)
Apparently it's frowned upon for a small child to power down a few cups of black coffee and spell 'til dawn. Regardless, prize money will be increased this year from $30,000 to $40,000 for the champion. Second place will now earn $30,000, and third place will receive $20,000.
Well, one way to spell endurance is through dollar bill signs.
*Laughable because I don't know what they mean and it's easy to forget I was an English major.
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