I do the Spelling Bee in the New York Times every day and hardly a day goes by that I don't learn a new word from it. This is remarkable to me because I'm in my late sixties, fairly well read, and there are only so many words limited to using just seven different letters.
My list isn't only of words I didn't know, though it used to be. Some time ago, I started including words that are obvious one that I should know but often don't. Tatami, for example. That might not be a word everyone is familiar with, but I lived in Japan for three years and my apartment's floor was comprised of tatami mats, except for the kitchen and bathroom.
Many of these words are getting flagged as misspellings, which is odd because they're not that uncommon: aboil, iliac, many more.
The writer David Sedaris said he always gets the Queen Bee rating, which means he got all the words. That makes me admire him a lot. There seem to be a hundred condiments I'd never heard of, and before doing Spelling Bee I never knew what a lanai was. That's just one example. There are many, many more.
I use this list by looking through it after I've done as much as I can.
abaci: pl. of abacus
abbacy: about being an abbot
ablate: to remove or destroy the function of
abloom: blooming
aboil: boiling
acacia: spiny African tree
academe: academic life
acai: berrylike fruit
accede: give consent
acrid: bitter
acyclic: not cyclic, re: flowers
adenine: purine base involved w/DNA and RNA
adduct: to draw toward a common center
aeon: long time
aglet: end of a lace
agora: meeting space in Rome
aioli: garlicky mayonnaise
aleph: 1st letter of Hebrew alphabet
alga, algae, algal: algae words
allele: alternative form of a gene
ameba, amoeba, amebae, amoebae: all good
amour: a love affair
amyl: part of amyl nitrate
ancho: a dried poblano pepper
angina: heart pain
anion: negatively charged ion
annul: declare void
annuli: pl. of annulus, ringlike growth marker
antenna, antennae: often missed
apian: bee related
apparat: Soviet bureaucracy
arancini: Italian rice balls
arborio: short grain rice for risotto
arcadia, arcadian: peace with nature
arco: with a bow
argon: inert gas Ar, 18
arhat: Buddhist with insight
aril: seed, fruit cover
armload: lots
arnica: a perennial herb
arrant: shameless; unmitigated
arum: genus of flowering plants
atrium, atria, atrial: lobby/s
attaboy: good going
attar: fragrant oil
augur: seer, to predict
avaunt: a vaunt, to boast; hence, away
axilla/axillae: armpit
baba: leavened rum cake
babel: confusion of sounds
babka: East European coffee cake
baccarat: the game
bacilli: pl. of bacteria
backcomb: real word
bagatelle: a trifle, an unimportant thing
balalaika: Russian string instrument
baleen: whale filter plates
ballcock: toilet part
barbacoa: slow-cooked meat over fire
bariatric: as in the surgery
barrack: army dorm
battement: dance move w/beating leg
baud: unit of data transfer
bebop: the music
beck: a small brook; a creak: beckoning gesture
begem: adorn with gems
belle: prettiest girl in a group
bhat: Thai money
biennia: two years
biennial: every two years
biome: a biotic community
birria: meat stew; soup
blackcap: any small black-crowned bird
blat: trumpet sound
blech: sound of gagging
blin: to stop, to cease, to desist
blini: a light pancake
bluebottle: type of fly
boba: bubble tea
bobbin: oft missed
bock: dark beer
bola: rope with weight attached
boll: seed-bearing capsules of some plants
bollix: to throw into confusion
bombe: dessert w/layers of ice cream
boodle: counterfeit money
bootee: baby or small boot
borzoi: Russian dog breed
bottleful: full bottle
bung: a stopper or bunghole
butle: to act as a butler
cabala: Jewish mysticism
cacao: chocolate beans
caiman: croc: cayman
cairn: mound of stones
calico: oft missed
callaloo: edible spinach-like leaves
cami: a camisole
campo: grassy plain in South America
canid: any doglike animal
canna: tropical herb with flowers
cannellini: white bean in Italian cooking
canonic: authoritative
cantata: poem set to music
cantina: Spanish bar
canton: small division of a country
capellini: angel-hair pasta
capon: castrated rooster
carob: evergreen tree, chocolate sub.
carpi: wrist bones
catatonia: being catatonic
cation: positively charged ion
cava: type of sparkling wine
cavatelli: small pasta shells
cellule: a small cell
cetacean: marine mammal type
chai: tea or latte w/cinnamon
challah: braided bread for Jewish sabbath
chancel: space around church altar
chia: seeds
chica: Mexican girl
chignon: knot in hair at base of neck
chitin: hard exoskeleton material
ciabatta: bread type
ciao: oft missed
cicada: the bug
cioppino: fish stew
cirri: plural of cirrus, tendrils
citron: thorny evergreen shrub or tree
clave: past tense of cleave
clayey: about clay
coati: small S.American omnivorous mammal
coca: shrub w/cocaine
cocci: spherical bacterium, pl. of coccus
cockade: badge worn on hat
cocoa: chocolate source
codon: DNA sequence, nucleotides
coho: “silver” salmon
coir: coconut fiber
colcannon: a mashed potato dish
collab: a collaboration
colleen: an Irish girl
collet: sleeve for holding pieces
collie: dog
compote: fruit stewed or cooked in syrup
conclave: secret meeting
congee: boiled rice; rice gruel; jail
corolla: flower petals
coulee: deep gulch, canal, bayou
covalence: no. of electron pairs atoms share
crog: be a bicycle passenger
cultic: re cults
curium: metallic synthetic radioactive element
dacha: Russian country house or villa
dahlia: plant genus
dandle, dandling: bounce kids on knees
deckle: a frame used to hand make paper
decoct: extract flavor by boiling
deicide: kill a god
deke: feint in ice hockey
demit: to relinquish, dismiss
dicta: extra comments made by a judge
dimity: a strong cotton fabric
dinar: Middle Eastern currency
ditz: scatterbrained or eccentric person
doeth: form of does
dolor: sadness
doodad: stop missing this one
dorado: S. constellation; type of fish
doyen, doyenne: male/female senior group member
dragoon: mounted European military unit
droid: real word
drooly: full of drool
ducat: old gold coin; any piece of money, ticket
dudgeon: the haft of a dagger
dugong: Indian Ocean marine mammal
dunno: a word in Spelling Bee
durag: a legit word
durian: that weird fruit
durum: type of wheat
dyad: 2 people in significant relationship
dyne: centimeter-gram-second unit of force
echinacea: type of coneflower
ecotone: transitional zone between 2 communities
eddied: past tense of eddy
eidetic: photographic memory
elfin: like an elf
emetic: causing vomiting
enchain: to bind with chains
ennead: groups of nine
entente: alliance
epicene: having characteristics of both sexes
epode: 3rd part of ode type
etouffee: a spicy Cajun stew
falafel: fava beans made into balls
farina: milled wheat
farrago: a medley; a mixture
farro: wheat grains
faun: man/goat deity
faunal: re: animals, fauna
fief: estate held on condition of military service
flagella: cell propellers
flan: 1. custard 2. metal disk to be stamped
flauta: type of tortilla
folio: large paper folded in the middle
fora: plural of forum
formic: ant related
friary: monastery of friars
furl: fold up a flag
gaffe: foot in mouth
gage: shotgun measurement
galangal: E. Asian medicine plant like ginger
galette: round flat pastry w/filling
gamete: mature reproductive cell with half the info
gamin: male street urchin
gamma: third Greek letter
gavotte: French peasant dance
gelee: gelled suspension for cooking
gelt: money or a gelding
genii: same as genie
geoid: shape of Earth
gewgaw: a decorative trinket; a bauble
gigolo: oft missed
gigue: Irish dance music
glia: network of glial cells
gnocchi: food word
googol: 10 to the 100th
googly: oft missed
gorgon: Greek myth female monsters
gran: a grandparent
grappa: Italian brandy type
guar; type of forage crop in pea family
haboob: sandstorm
haka: Maori war dance
hake: any cod like food fish; drying shed
halite: rock salt
halogen: electro-neg. element
halva/havala: Indian confection
hamate: bone in wrist
haptic: touch related
haulage: that which is hauled
heinie: spelling
helve: handle of ax, chisel, hammer
hematite: black or blackish-red iron ore rock
heme: molecule w/iron
hepatic: liver related
heptane: test fuel component
hiatal: re: a hiatus
hoar: hoary, frost
hogan: Navajo dwelling
hoodoo: voodoo
hoorah: cheer, alt. of hurrah
hora: round dance
hortatory: encouragement
ichor: god blood; ethereal fluid
igloo: oft missed
iliac: re: ilium
ilium: pelvic bone
incipience: a first stage, a beginning
indica: type of cannabis plant
indicia: identifying marks
indium: a soft metal
innie: spelling
inurn: to put in an urn
invitee: welcome guest
ipecac: tropical American shrub
irrupt: to break or burst in
jabot: laces, ruffles
jinn: a spirit
jojoba: an evergreen shrub
kaboom: sound word
kebab: like kabab
kente: Ashanti cloth
korma: a mild curry, SE Asia
krona: Swedish currency
kronor: plural of above
kroon: pre-euro Estonia currency
laic: re: secular, the laity
laical: re: layman or laity
lambi: sea snail
lamina: thin plate or layer
laminal: consisting of laminae
lanai: Hawaiian porch
latana: genus of tropical shrubs
lath: thin strip of wood
legato: smooth, even, in music
lemma: headword
lento: in music, slowly
lifeblood: one word
limn: oft missed
linnet: a small finch
littoral: of or on a shore
llano: grassy plain
loach: a European freshwater fish
loblolly: a mudhole; a mire
lobo: the gray wolf
loge: small compartment, lodge
loggia: arch.; open balcony
logogram: symbol that stands for word
loofa: spelling note
lookbook: real word
loonie: real word
lovage: parsley family plan
luau: party
luff: sailing term
lunula: fingernail moon
macaroon, macaron; chewy cooky
macron: symbol placed over long vowel
mage: a magician
mahimahi: slender game fish in Hawaii
malic: apple related
mammon: wealth in Bible
mancala: board games with pits
mandala: Hindu, Buddhist universe
manila: yellow brown color
mantilla: light silk scarf
maraud: to rove and raid for plunder
matcha: powdered green tea
matte: no gloss
maxilla: skull bones
melanin: dark skin pigment
mete: boundary line, limit
metonym/metonymy: a word that means another
meze/mezze: small dishes as appetizers
mimeo: mimeograph; unpublished academic paper
minim: half note
minima: least possible quantity or degree
modular: in moduls
mondo: enormous, huge
monolog: legit spelling
mononym: one name: Cher, Madonna
monotony: missed
moonlit: lit by moon
moron: missed by idiots
motet: vocal sacred anthem
mumpsimus: s.o. who sticks with old, wrong ways
myalgia: pain in one or more muscles
myna, mynah; the bird
naiad: water nymph
naif: naive, naive person
nankeen: sturdy cotton or pants made of it
natality: birth rate
natant: floating, swimming
neocon: real word
neolith: stone tool from Neolithic age
nepenthe: fictional medicine to forget grief
netizen: real word
netlike: like a net
netty: open-meshed fabric or toilet
niacin: a vitamin
nite: real word
nodal: node related
nohow: in no way
noir: English for noire
nonagon: polygon with nine sides and angles
nonagonal: like above
noncom: real word
nonce: the present
nonet: 9 instruments or voices
nonillion: 10 to the 30th
noob: new person
noogie; legit word
novae: plural of nova
nubbin: real word
oaten: made with oats
octal: eight based
octant: one eighth of a circle
octillion: 10 to the 27th or 48th
odea: plural of odium
odeon: Greek theater
odep: plural of odium; Greek theater
odium: Greek theater
offline: not online
ogee: double curve, S shaped
oleic: type of fatty acid
oleo: margarine
olio: hodgepodge
ollie: skateboard move
omigod: legit in Spelling Bee
oocyte: egg cell
oolong: tea fermented before drying
oompah: rhythmic bass accompaniment
oomph: legit
opah: moonfish
oppugn: call into question truth of
orang: an orangutan
orzo: pasta type
otology: ear medicine
ovate: egg shaped
oxlike: like an ox
paean: hymn of praise
paella: rice dish, Spain
palapa: open-sided dwelling w/thatched roof
palatal: re/ the palate
palp: one of clam mouth appendages
pampa: South American grass plain
pancetta: salt-cured pork belly meat
pandit: a Hindu scholar or teacher
panini: sandwich made of small loaf of bread
papally: same as popishly
papilla, papillae: tastebud and things like it
paradrop: deliver by parachute
paratha: flatbread
pariah: me
partita: instrumental piece of variations
patent, patentee: re patents
patly: suitably
peke: short for Pekingese
pelf: dishonestly gotten money
pellicle: thin skin or membrane
penman, men: scribe
pentane: organic compound
peplum: short attached overskirt or ruffle
peptide: class of organic compounds
petit: petty
phalli: the penis
pharaoh: spelling check
phial: a vial
phlegmy: full of phlegm
phoneme: smallest unit of word sound
phyllo: pastry dough in thin sheets
piccata: Italian dish
pidgin: simplified language
pinniped: aquatic mammal; seal, etc.
pinny: a pinafore
pipet: alt. form of pipette
pipit: a type of songbird
pippin: an apple grown from seed
piratic: re pirates
pith: soft inner tissue of feather, hair, plant
plat: to plait or braid
platypli: plural of platypus
plena: Puerto Rican music
plenum: meeting with all present
plie: ballet move
polyphony: multiplicity of sounds
pome: fleshy fruit w/seed chambers
pomelo: a fruit
pommel: to beat, pummel
pompano: a type of fish
poplin: ribbed fabric
poppa: dad
priapic: phallus related
prion: misfolded protein
proton: positively charged nucleon
puli: Hungarian sheep dog
quanta: smallest amount of radiation
radicchio: any of a variety of chicory
radii: pl. of radius
raffia: tree, reed for baskets
ragu: thick pasta sauce
raita: an Indian salad or condiment
raita: Indian salad or yogurt
rapini: broccoli rabe, from China
riparian: re river banks
rondo: musical form w/contrasts
rood: crucifix
roti: Caribbean pastry
tabard: a short, heavy cape of coarse cloth
tabla: small drum
tabor: small drum
taffeta: fabric type
taiga: snow forest
taillamp: taillight
tali: plural of talus, ankle bones
tallit: prayer shawl
tamari: soy sauce made with no wheat
tanka: boat used in Canton; forceful expression
tant: a small scarlet arachnidnana
tantara: trumpet
tantra: esoteric yogic tradition
tapa: Spanish snack
tarmac: runway
tartan: patterned cloth
tatami: often missed by morons who lived in Japan
taxa: pl. of taxon, phylum, order, family, etc.
teff: African grain
telos: end goal, reason for being
tenant: renter
tenon: wood joint making projection
tibial: re tibia
tiki: male Polynesian figure
tilth: tilled earth
tinct: tint
tinhorn: petty braggart
tipi: alt. form of teepee
tippet: shaw
titivate: to dress or smarten up
titration: determining concentration of something
toccata: Baroque music
tommyrot: nonsense
tonne: 1,000 kg
tontine: investment plan w/shares, annuities
toonie: $2 Canadian coin
tope: small shark, grove of trees, Buddhist sepulcher
toponym: place name
toponymy: study of place names
tori: Japanese gate; plural of torus
torii: Shinto gate
toroid: closed curve shape
tortoni: an Italian ice cream
tramcar: a car on a tram
trattoria: small, Italian-style restaurant
trillionth: big number
tritium: rare isotope of hydrogen
tromp: to walk heavily
tuffet: low seat or tuft of grass
tutti: in music, all together
ulna: arm bone
unpin: remove a pin
uptilt: to tilt upward
uvea: middle layer of the eye
valence: combining capacity of atom
venial: easily excused, pardonable
villanelle: 19-line poem
viny: having to do with vines
vivace: lively, in music
vlog: real word in Spelling Bee
wahine: woman surfer, Polynesian woman
whinnied: the horse did it
wight: a living being; creature
wigwag, -ing: to move back and forth
wino: drunk
woohoo: legit in Spelling Bee
wryly: in a wry way, duh
xenon: colorless noble gas element
yecch: like yech
yenta, yente: matchmaker, gossip
yippee: spelliing
yond: short for yonder
zingy: valid word
