Diocesan Spelling Bee
Stage 2 Preliminary Round – Non elimination
Word: quiz
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kwiz)
We had a music quiz at school yesterday.
Word: beach
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say beech)
We grabbed our towels and raced down to the beach.
Word: silver
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sil-vuh)
My new ring is made of silver.
Word: bridge
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say brij)
As we drove over the bridge we could see the river below.
Word: scar
Pronunciation
Sentence
(5 words)
(say skah)
She had a scar on her knee from her bike accident.
Stage 2 – Round 1
Word: walk
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wawk)
Will we walk to the train station or catch the bus?
Word: breed
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say breed)
The zoo keepers are hoping that the new elephants will breed.
Word: dawn
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say dawn)
I had to get up at dawn to go on the school camp.
Word: church
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say cherch)
We sat in the church waiting for the minister to begin the
service.
Word: plane
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say playn)
We are going to fly to Fiji on a plane.
Word: enjoy
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say en-joy)
I enjoy science fiction films.
Word: thumb
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say thum)
She hit her thumb with the hammer.
Word: early
Pronunciation
Sentence
2
(say er-lee)
We set out early in the morning.
Word: marble
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mah-buhl)
(The grand staircase was made of marble.
Word: coach
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kohch)
The coach made us swim twenty laps to warm up.
Word: bush
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say boosh)
We drove through open country, then through bush.
Word: mime
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say muym)
You have to train for years to learn to mime well.
Word: control
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kuhn-trohl)
She used the control to turn the temperature up.
Word: buy
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say buy)
I need to buy some new shoes.
Word: twig
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say twig)
When we were camping, we used a twig to stir our tea.
Word: rash
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say rash)
He wasn’t supposed to scratch his rash even though it was really
itchy.
Word: trust
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say trust)
She’s been my friend for many years and I can trust her to help.
3
Word: cash
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kash)
I left some cash on the table to pay my paino teacher and now
it’s gone.
Word: pain
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say payn)
The pain in his leg made walking difficult.
Word: brain
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say brayn)
An elephant’s brain is four times larger than a human’s.
Word: banjo
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ban-joh)
My uncle plays his banjo in a band.
Word: taxi
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tak-see)
We decided to take a taxi to the airport.
Word: skill
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say skil)
She has many talents, but her greatest skill is singing.
Word: actor
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ak-tuh)
The actor who played the killer was frightening.
Word: story
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say staw-ree)
We read a story about pirates in class today.
Word: above
Pronunciation
Sentence
4
(say uh-bove)
Look above – there’s a possum in the tree!
Word: polite
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say puh-luyt)
Even though she was very angry she tried to remain polite.
Word: verse
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say vers)
We usually only sing the first verse of the National Anthem.
Word: creed
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kreed)
It is wrong to discriminate on the basis of race or creed.
Word: yellow
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say yel-oh)
I painted my room yellow because it makes me feel happy.
Word: letter
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say let-uh)
She received a letter from her friend in Vietnam.
Word: flask
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say flahsk)
Our science teacher warned us to be very careful when we
poured the acid solution into the flask.
Word: timber
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tim-buh)
The builder said the timber would be delivered the next day.
Word: power
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pow-uh)
We lost all electrical power in the blackout.
Word: data
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say day-tuh or dah-tuh)
We collected data on the number of insects we found in the
school’s playground and then entered it into the computer.
5
Word: smile
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say smuyl)
We all had to smile for the camera.
Word: unit
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say yooh-nuht)
The gram is the basic unit of weight.
Word: target
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tah-guht)
She hit the target with the ball and won a prize.
Word: laptop
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say lap-top)
My dad took his laptop on holiday in case he needed to do any
work.
Word: wisp
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wisp)
A wisp of smoke rose from the chimney.
Word: wild
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wuyld)
There are wild mushrooms growing in the paddock.
Word: waste
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wayst)
Don’t waste water by leaving the tap running.
Word: goal
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say gohl)
Dad put a ring up on a tree to use as a goal so we could practise
our netball.
Word: tide
Pronunciation
Sentence
6
(say tuyd)
When the tide is low, you can see all the shells washed up on the
shore.
Word: learn
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say lern)
I would like to learn more about the speed of light and sound.
Word: golf
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say golf)
Playing golf is good exercise because it involves a lot of walking.
Word: wombat
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wom-bat)
The wombat looked cute and cuddly but it had sharp claws so I
stayed away.
Word: talent
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tal-uhnt)
The teacher said that my paintings show a talent for art.
Word: quiet
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kwuy-uht)
The lake is quiet early in the morning.
Word: paint
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say paynt)
We asked our teacher for some more purple paint.
(50 words)
7
Stage 2 – Round 2
Word: flea
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say flee)
A bite from a flea can make you very itchy.
Word: computer
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kuhm-pyooh-tuh)
Our new computer allows us to access the internet very quickly.
Word: sensor
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say-sen-suh)
The sensor detected smoke, and set off the fire alarm.
Word: neither
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say nuy-thuh or nee- thuh)
Neither colour suits me – I look awful in both orange and purple.
Word: sinew
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sin-yooh)
She strained a sinew in her knee playing netball.
Word: niece
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say nees)
My aunt has five nephews, but only one niece – me!
Word: shriek
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say shreek)
With a shriek of excitement the children ran into the waves.
Word: paddock
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pad-uhk)
During the flood, the sheep were moved to a higher paddock.
Word: dew
Pronunciation
Sentence
8
(say dyooh)
The dew looked pretty, glistening on the grass in the early sun.
Word: steady
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sted-ee)
He is making steady progress in music.
Word: fathom
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say fath-uhm)
One fathom is equal to six feet.
Word: altar
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say awl-tuh)
The bride and her father walked into the church and up towards
the altar.
Word: heal
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say heel)
The job of a doctor is to try to heal sick people.
Word: engine
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say en-juhn)
Our car’s engine stopped because we had run out of petrol.
Word: pencil
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pen-suhl)
I need a red pencil for this drawing.
Word: entire
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say en-tuy-uh)
Michelle ate the entire cake all by herself.
Word: zebra
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say zeb-ruh or zee-bruh)
My friend brought me back a painting of a zebra from Africa.
Word: earn
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ern)
He wants to earn some money by doing a paper run.
9
Word: router
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say rowt-er)
We had to follow the instructions to set up the router.
Word: fresco
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say fress-koh)
The council hired an artist to paint a fresco on the ceiling of our
new town hall.
Word: tepid
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tep-uhd)
The water in his drink bottle was tepid because he had left it in
the sun.
Word: season
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say see-zuhn)
My favourite season is summer, because it’s warm and sunny.
Word: script
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say script)
I practised my part for the play by reading the script in the bath.
Word: citrus
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sit-ruhs)
The citrus we planted last year is starting to produce fruit.
Word: sleeve
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sleev)
In art, I spilt red paint all over the sleeve of my white shirt.
Word: cornet
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kaw-nuht)
Luca plays the cornet in the school band.
Word: blazer
Pronunciation
Sentence
10
(say blay-zuh)
The band uniform is a bright red blazer.
Word: composer
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kuhm-poh-zuh)
Sergei Rachmaninoff was a famous Russian composer.
Word: bushfire
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say boosh-fuy-uh)
Several houses were destroyed before the firefighters could
control the bushfire.
Word: engross
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say en-grohs)
That book will engross you for days.
Word: buoy
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say boy)
We swam around the buoy and then back to the shore.
Word: predict
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pruh-dikt)
The weather bureau tries to predict when it will rain, but it’s not
always right.
Word: ferret
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say fe-ruht)
It’s becoming more and more popular to keep a ferret as a pet.
Word: fever
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say fee-vuh)
She had a fever for three days and had to stay at home.
Word: zoning
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say zoh-ning)
The council changed the zoning of the land so that houses could
be built there.
Word: braid
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say brayd)
I will braid my hair for the school photos.
11
Word: vibrant
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say vuy-bruhnt)
The vibrant colours in the fashion parade were a completely new
look.
Word: unclean
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say un-kleen)
They chose not to eat at that restaurant because it was so
unclean inside.
Word: comfort
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kum-fuht)
I tried to comfort my little brother after he hurt his foot.
Word: movie
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mooh-vee)
Would you like to see a movie during the holidays.
Word: python
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say puy-thuhn)
I like visiting the python at the zoo, but I wouldn’t want to meet
one anywhere else!
Word: magpie
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mag-puy)
We wore empty ice-cream buckets on our heads to avoid being
hurt if a magpie swooped while we were walking through the
park.
Word: tidings
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tuy-dings)
The days had lengthened to weeks, and still we had not heard
any tidings.
Word: strum
Pronunciation
Sentence
12
(say strum)
The audience clapped as the musician started to strum his
guitar.
Word: stadium
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say stay-dee-uhm)
We are going to the stadium to watch tennis.
Word: mutiny
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say myooh-tuh-nee)
We watched a film about the mutiny on the Bounty.
Word: peace
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pees)
Everyone celebrated when the war ended and there was peace
at last.
Word: courage
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ku-rij)
She showed great courage when she saved the child from the
fire.
Word: tomato
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tuh-mah-toh)
He made a tomato and cheese sandwich.
Word: melodic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say muh-lod-ik)
He played us a melodic tune on his clarinet.
(50 words)
13
Stage 2 - Round 3
Word: nocturnal
Pronunciation:
Sentence
(say nok-ter-nuhl)
Possums and bats are nocturnal animals.
Word: telescope
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tel-uh-skohp)
The stars looked much brighter through the telescope.
Word: recuperate
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ruh-kooh-puh-rayt or ree-koo-puh-rayt)
It did not take her long to recuperate from the virus because she
was so fit.
Word: faucet
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say faw-suht)
Water was dripping from the tap because the faucet hadn’t
been turned off completely.
Word: plateau
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say plat-oh)
From the plateau, at the top of the mountain, we could see the
endless plain beyond.
Word: relic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say rel-ik)
This ancient statue is a relic of a great civilisation.
Word: exercise
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say eks-uh-suyz)
Walking is good exercise.
Word: communist
Pronunciation
Sentence
14
(say kom-yuh-nist)
Citizens aren’t always treated equally in a communist regime.
Word: utmost
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ut-mohst)
The festivities would strain the small town’s resources to the
utmost.
Word: bovine
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say boh-vuyn)
Cattle, water buffalo and yaks are all part of the bovine family.
Word: blizzard
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say bliz-uhd)
We got caught in a blizzard on the way back from our skiing trip.
Word: petunia
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say puh-tyoohn-yah)
The nursery potted the petunia for us so we didn’t have to do it
ourselves at home.
Word: incisor
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say in-suy-zuh)
When the ball hit her in her mouth, her left incisor was knocked
loose.
Word: eminence
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say em-uh-nuhns)
After many years of hard work, she had reached a position of
eminence in her profession.
Word: frieze
Pronunciation
Sentence
building.
(say freeze)
A frieze had been carved all the way around the ancient
Word: organic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say aw-gan-ik)
They only use organic fertilizers on their crops.
15
Word: correlate
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ko-ruh-layt)
We had to correlate one set of figures with another.
Word: chariot
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say char-ree-uht)
The actor had to learn to control a chariot for his role in the film
about ancient Rome.
Word: endemic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say en-dem-ik)
Malaria is endemic in many tropical countries.
Word: abscond
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say uhb-skond)
The treasurer planned to abscond with the club’s money.
Word: bizarre
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say buh-zah)
The doctors were very worried by his bizarre behaviour.
Word: inflation
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say in-flay-shuhn)
When inflation occurs, your money can buy less and less.
Word: republic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ruh-pub-lik)
Australia is not a republic but the United States is.
Word: loofah
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say looh-fah)
The gift basket contained two scented soaps, a loofah, and a
moisturiser.
Word: obesity
Pronunciation
Sentence
16
(say oh-bee-suh-tee)
Rates of obesity are increasing in Australia.
Word: raisin
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ray-zuhn)
It’s nice to have a raisin or two with cheese.
Word: fatigue
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say fuh-teeg)
The rescued bushwalkers were suffering from fatigue.
Word: epidemic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ep-uh-dem-ik)
Before vaccinations, an epidemic of flu could kill thousands of
people.
Word: mollusc
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mol-uhsk)
A snail is a mollusc, and so is an oyster.
Word: dugong
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say dyooh-gong)
The dugong was hunted for its meat and oil by some Aboriginal
people.
Word: italics
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say i-tal-iks or uy-tal-iks)
I use italics in my essays when I want to emphasise something.
Word: paraplegia
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pa-ruh-plee-juh)
My brother suffers from paraplegia and represents Australia in
wheelchair basketball.
Word: census
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sen-suhs)
The government conducts a census of the whole country every
five years.
17
Word: quantitative
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kwon-tuh-tuh-tiv or kwon-tuh-tay-tiv)
The analysts used quantitative data to make their comparisons.
Word: ultimate
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ul-tah-muht)
The ultimate objective is to get to the finals.
Word: briefcase
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say breef-kays)
Mum could never fit her lunch in her briefcase, so she always
had to take another bag.
Word: telecast
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tel-uh-kahst)
The telecast was to be screened at eight o’clock that night so we
made sure we got home in time.
Word: misspell
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mis-spel)
You can’t afford to misspell a word in this competition if you
want to do well.
Word: redolent
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say red-uh-luhnt)
The night air was redolent of the scent of roses.
Word: appetite
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ap-uh-tuyt)
Your appetite is always good after you go hiking in the bush.
Word: modular
Pronunciation
Sentence
18
(say mod-yuh-luh)
The library has modular furniture which can easily be moved
around for different purposes.
Word: species
Pronunciation
Sentence
(spee-seez)
Chimpanzees are a species of monkey.
Word: lyrics
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say li-riks)
Can you remember the lyrics of that song we heard last night?
Word: trombone
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say trom-bohn)
Joe gets very annoyed when his sister practises her trombone
while he is trying to poach eggs.
(44 words)
19
Stage 2 - Round 4
Word: narrowcast
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say na-roh-kahst)
We didn’t see the program because it was narrowcast on a payTV station only.
Word: fraternal
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say fruh-ter-nuhl)
They weren’t brothers, but they had a fraternal relationship
because they had been close friends all their lives.
Word: witness
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wit-nuhs)
Because Mum was the first witness at the scene of the accident,
the police wanted to ask her lots of questions.
Word: coolamon
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kooh-luh-mon)
The coolamon was full of yams and nuts.
Word: dramatist
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say dram-uh-tust)
The actor was overwhelmed to be chosen by the dramatist to
perform in his new play.
Word: dynasty
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say din-uh-stee)
The Ming dynasty ruled in China for over two hundred years
from the 14th-17th century.
Word: tetanus
Pronunciation
Sentence
20
(say tet-nuhs or tet-uh-nuhs)
These days, most people in Australia are immunised against
tetanus, so it is not very common.
Word: tabulate
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tab-yuh-layt)
We had to tabulate the amount of rain that fell each day over
the whole month.
Word: arsenic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ah-suh-nik)
Arsenic was often used as a poison in old murder mysteries.
Word: fauna
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say faw-nuh)
The fauna of Australia includes the kangaroo.
Word: rueful
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say rooh-ful)
She had a rueful look on her face as she looked at the broken
window.
Word: dissolute
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say dis-uh-looht)
The film was about a dissolute man who gambled and drank too
much.
Word: anchor
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ang-kuh)
We threw the anchor over the side and started baiting our
hooks.
Word: amplify
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say am-pluh-fuy)
We used a microphone to amplify our voices so that we could be
heard at the back of the hall.
Word: hangar
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say hang-uh)
The plane was moved into the hangar for regular maintenance.
21
Word: citizen
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sit-uh-zuhn)
A baby born to Australian parents is automatically an Australian
citizen.
Word: cleanse
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say klenz)
The nurse started to cleanse the wound with a mild antiseptic.
Word: narrative
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say na-ruh-tiv)
Her narrative was about two children who got lost but managed
to find their way home.
Word: bight
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say buyt)
The Great Australian Bight is the widest inlet on our coast.
Word: sombre
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say som-buh)
He wore sombre robes in shades of brown and black.
Word: dungeon
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say dun-juhn)
The soldiers were held captive in the cold, dark dungeon of the
castle.
Word: whisker
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wis-kuh)
The cat was so afraid that every hair and every whisker was
sticking straight up.
Word: injustice
Pronunciation
Sentence
22
(say in-jus-tuhs)
She is always angered by injustice.
Word: methodology
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say meth-uh-dol-uh-jee)
The success of the experiment was helped by a sound
methodology.
Word: lasso
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say lass-ooh)
The cowboy threw a lasso around the cow’s neck.
Word: ignorant
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ig-nuh-ruhnt)
Growing up in the city, he was ignorant of life in the country.
Word: propulsion
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pruh-pul-shuhn)
The missile was under rocket propulsion.
Word: prognosis
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say prog-noh-suhs)
She was very relieved when the doctor gave her a good
prognosis.
Word: quokka
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kwok-uh)
The quokka is only found on a small island off the western coast
of Australia.
Word: gangrene
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say gang-green)
My grandfather suffered gangrene during the war and lost his
left leg.
Word: absolutely
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ab-suh-looht-lee)
I absolutely agree with you that apples taste better than grapes.
23
Word: constabulary
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kuhn-stab-yuhl-uh-ree)
The local constabulary tried to bring an end to the riot.
Word: devious
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say dee-vee-uhs)
His devious ways made him a lot of enemies.
Word: deceit
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say duh-seet)
We were well aware of her deceit and no longer trusted her.
Word: variety
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say vuh-ruy-uh-tee)
This shop sells a variety of cakes.
Word: competitor
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kuhm-pet-uh-tuh)
He was the only competitor not to fall down in the skating race,
so he won!
Word: bassoon
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say buh-soohn)
He plays the bassoon in the school band)
Word: queasy
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kwee-see)
Driving along the winding mountain road made me feel very
queasy.
Word: performance
Pronunciation
Sentence
24
(say puh-faw-muhns)
The Year Six students put on a great performance at the end of
the year.
Word: equality
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ee-kwol-uh-tee or uh-kwol-uh-tee)
My mother says that in the interests of equality, everyone in the
family should take turns in taking out the garbage bin.
Word: flamboyant
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say flam-boy-uhnt)
The peacock is known for its flamboyant displays of feathers.
Word: foliage
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say foh-lee-ij)
In autumn, the foliage of some trees turns orange and red.
Word: ricotta
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ruh-kot-uh)
On cold winter evenings, my sister in-law cooks her spinach and
ricotta pie.
Word: haughty
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say haw-tee)
His haughty manner didn’t fit in with the friendly atmosphere of
the meeting.
(44 words)
25
Stage 2 - Round 5
Word: suspicious
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say suh-spish-uhs)
We were suspicious when we heard a window shatter followed
by footsteps running down the road.
Word: baklava
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say bak-luh-vuh or bah-kluh-vuh)
When we go to our favourite café, I always have a piece of
sweet, sticky baklava
Word: sluggard
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say slug-uhd)
The sluggard refused to work and spent the day in his hammock.
Word: askance
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say uh-skance)
I realised that I had said something wrong when the teacher
looked askance at me.
Word: municipality
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say myooh-nuh-suh-pal-uh-tee)
We have some good parks in our municipality.
Word: disinfectant
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say dis-uhn-fek-tuhnt)
The vet sprays the examining table with disinfectant after each
patient.
Word: solstice
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sol-stuhs)
The winter solstice occurs around the 22nd of June.
Word: mysterious
Pronunciation
Sentence
26
(say muh-steer-ree-uhs)
We were woken by mysterious noises in the night.
Word: obliterate
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say uh-blit-uh-rayt)
The thieves thought that the fire would obliterate all evidence of
their crime but they were wrong.
Word: organism
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say aw-guh-niz-uhm)
She saw the tiny organism under the microscope.
Word: repulsive
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ruh-pul-siv)
The smell of the garbage bin was repulsive.
Word: quandary
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kwon-dree or kwon-duh-ree)
I’m in a quandary about what to wear to this party.
Word: macaw
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say muh-kaw)
The bright colours of the macaw caught their eyes as it flew
away.
Word: nonentity
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say non-en-tuh-tee)
I felt like a complete nonentity at the film premiere.
Word: cyberspace
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say suy-buy-space)
She spent hours at the computer, lost in cyberspace.
Word: apparatus
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ap-uh-rah-tuhs)
We set up the apparatus for the experiment.
Word: stiletto
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say stuh-let-oh)
She tripped when her stiletto wedged tightly in the drain.
27
Word: ferocity
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say fuh-ross-uh-tee)
The attack was executed with frightening ferocity.
Word: hypocrite
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say hip-uh-krit)
The outspoken conservationist was branded a hypocrite when it
was discovered that she did not recycle her paper and plastic.
Word: impunity
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say im-pyoohn-uh-tee)
Despite his wealth and connections, the disgraced judge found
he could not flout the law with impunity.
Word: montage
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mon-tahzh)
In our art class we are cutting up old magazines to make a
montage.
Word: recoup
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ruh-koohp or ree-koohp)
After the drought it was impossible for the farmers to recoup
their losses.
Word: conceited
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kuhn-seet-uhd)
Unfortunately, his huge success as a writer has made him very
conceited.
Word: hygienic
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say huy-jeen-ik)
It is important to have a hygienic kitchen.
Word: paisley
Pronunciation
Sentence
28
(say payz-lee)
My mother still has the paisley shirt that she wore before I was
born.
Word: satisfactory
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sat-uhs-fak-tuh-ree)
That was a very satisfactory meal.
Word: krypton
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say krip-ton)
Krypton is a gas which is used in some camera flashes.
Word: volatile
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say vol-uh-tuyl)
It was a volatile situation which could lead to war.
Word: transcend
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say tran-send)
His success after this show is sure to transcend any he has had
before.
Word: anatomy
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say uh-nat-uh-mee)
The anatomy of an alpaca is very similar to that of a llama,
vicuna and guanaco.
Word: shrewd
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say shroohd)
People often asked him for advice because they thought he was
shrewd.
Word: predicament
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pruh-dik-uh-muhnt)
It was a real predicament for Rosie the dog when she was
accidentally locked in the cupboard.
Word: warfare
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say waw-fair)
Many towns were destroyed during the warfare between the
two countries.
29
Word: conductivity
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kon-duk-tiv-uh-tee)
Copper is commonly used for electrical wiring because it has
high conductivity.
Word: shiralee
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say shi-ruh-lee)
All the swagman needed was in his shiralee.
Word: circuitry
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ser-kuh-tree)
The toaster stopped working because of a problem in the
circuitry.
Word: programming
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say proh-gram-ing)
My sister is studying programming because she loves working
with computers.
Word: whirlwind
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say werl-wind)
The roar of the whirlwind filled the air.
Word: mollycoddle
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mol-ee-kod-uhl)
Caitlin didn’t think it was a good idea to mollycoddle her
teenage daughter so she encouraged her interest in rock
climbing.
Word: albatross
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say al-buh-tross)
Many sailors believe that it is bad luck to harm an albatross.
Word: generous
Pronunciation
Sentence
30
(say jen-uh-ruhs)
Damien is so generous that he shared his lunch with me when I
forgot mine.
Word: guava
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say gwah-vuh)
She explained that the tree was a guava, and we could eat the
delicious fruit.
Word: queue
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kyooh)
The queue for the hamburgers was too long so we decided to
make do with the chips.
Word: magnetism
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say mag-nuh-tiz-uhm)
We learned lots about magnetism by moving the poles of the
magnets around.
(44 words)
31
Stage 2 - Round 6
Word: petticoat
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pet-ee-koht)
Women used to always wear a petticoat under their dresses.
Word: scythe
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say suyth)
He used a scythe to cut the long grass.
Word: magician
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say muh-jish-uhn)
The magician was able to make a coin disappear and then
appear again.
Word: ocarina
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ok-uh-ree-nuh)
The ocarina is not a very difficult instrument to learn.
Word: egotism
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ee-guh-tiz-uhm)
His egotism has lost him all his friends.
Word: transmitter
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say trans-mit-uh)
The radio transmitter was out of order.
Word: mahogany
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say muh-hog-uh-nee)
The house was full of old furniture made of cedar and
mahogany.
Word: incandescent
Pronunciation
Sentence
32
(say in-kan-dess-uhnt)
This metal is so hot it is incandescent.
Word: serrated
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say suh-ray-tuhd)
A bread knife has a serrated blade.
Word: ambulance
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say am-byuh-luhns)
An ambulance took her to hospital when she fell out of the tree
and hurt her back.
Word: combustion
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kuhm-bus-chuhn)
The heater worked on a process of slow combustion.
Word: cygnet
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sig-nuht)
The cygnet paddled across the lake behind adult swans.
Word: ridiculous
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ruh-dik-yuh-luhs)
The idea may sound ridiculous, but I actually think it will work.
Word: simulator
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sim-yah-lay-tuh)
Pilots begin their training on a simulator before actually flying a
plane.
Word: theatre
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say thear-tuh)
The play opens at the local theatre on Friday.
Word: hypothesis
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say huy-poth-uh-suhs)
The scientist proposed the hypothesis that the earth was much
older than commonly thought.
33
Word: cormorant
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say kaw-muh-ruhnt)
A cormorant landed on the rock and spread its wings out to dry.
Word: exhibition
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say eks-uh-bish-uhn)
All their parents and friends came to see the students’ art
exhibition.
Word: proponent
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pruh-poh-nuhnt)
Our member of parliament is a proponent of tax reform.
Word: violin
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say vuy-uh-lin)
The violin is a very different instrument to learn to play.
Word: sanitary
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say san-uh-tree)
All procedures at the hospital must be sanitary, or germs will
quickly spread.
Word: knowledge
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say nol-ij)
She had a good knowledge of the rules of the games so they
asked her to be referee.
Word: semibreve
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sem-ee-breev)
In our music class we learned that a semibreve is a note which is
four times as long as a crotchet.
Word: terracotta
Pronunciation
Sentence
34
(say te-ruh-kot-uh)
The tiles were in warm shades of terracotta.
Word: stationary
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say stay-shuhn-ree)
She waited until the car was stationary before opening the door.
Word: tourism
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say toouh-riz-uhm)
She loves travelling and hopes to get some sort of job in tourism.
Word: liana
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say lee-ahn-uh)
In the rainforest, tangled liana jostled with strangler figs and
massive tree ferns.
Word: vegetation
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say vej-uh-tay-shuhn)
Much of the vegetation was cleared for grazing animals.
Word: broccoli
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say brok-uh-lee or brok-uh-luy)
Albert added some broccoli to the stir fry.
Word: overwhelm
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say oh-vuh-welm)
They knew that the arduous trek might overwhelm them but
decided to start off anyway.
Word: amnesty
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say am-nuh-stee)
During the amnesty, people could hand in their illegal weapons
without being charged.
Word: chorister
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say ko-ruhs-tuh)
She loved singing and wanted to be a chorister in the cathedral
choir.
35
Word: reputable
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say rep-yuh-tuh-buhl)
My uncle is looking for a good second-hand car from a reputable
dealer.
Word: samskara
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sam-skah-ruh)
In Hinduism, the samskara are the special ceremonies that are
carried out at significant times in a person’s life.
Word: geography
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say jee-og-ruh-fee)
In his geography class, my big brother learns about things like
how mountains were formed.
Word: etiquette
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say et-ee-kuht)
We were taught the etiquette of addressing the governor when
she visited our school.
Word: scheming
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say skee-ming)
The scheming young politician took aim at his own party leader.
Word: morose
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say muh-rohs)
He became very morose when he found out that dinner was to
be lentil burgers.
Word: whim
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say wim)
I just bought the dress on a whim.
Word: pillion
Pronunciation
Sentence
36
(say pil-yuhn)
He rode as pillion behind his dad on the motorcycle – it was
great fun!
Word: encapsulate
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say en-kap-shuh-layt or en-kap-syuh-layt)
She managed to encapsulate all the theories about the cause of
the war in a one-hour lecture.
Word: palette
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say pal-uht)
The artist mixed different paints on his palette until he created
the perfect colour for the sunset.
Word: sewerage
Pronunciation
Sentence
(say sooh-rij or soohuh-rij)
This government minister is in charge of water and sewerage.
(43 words)
37
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