Also, ask for word origin

Alabama's two-time state spelling bee champion, having reached the end of her eligibility, will leave the academic dog-and-pony show that is the Scripps National Spelling Bee after a 28th-place finish in the national event Thursday.

The girl, 13, will enter her retirement $400 richer and with plans to return to Washington next year to mentor younger spellers, a task that would seem to consist of advising participants to stand up straight, speak clearly, and memorize the entire unabridged dictionaries of several languages, just in case.