San Joaquin County
County Office of Education
2013-2014 Spelling Bee
Junior High Spelling Word List
(Includes the first 15 words to be given at the county
championship)
•The Junior High Spelling Bee Division has a written format. All
participants will spell the same list of words.
• The first fifteen (15) words given in county competition on
December 4, 2013 will come from this study list. Succeeding words
given at the competition will come from a variety of sources including
but not limited to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition.
• At the county competition, words will be pronounced, put into a
sentence and pronounced again. Definitions will be provided by the
spellmaster upon request.
• Pronunciations and meanings have been eliminated from this word list
to encourage the use of a dictionary or other sources you deem
appropriate.
Page 1 of 8
Junior High Spelling Bee Practice Word List
abbreviate
abscond
abstraction
abyss
accumulate
acme
acquittal
adroitness
affluent
agriculture
alabaster
allegory
alligator
almanac
amateur
analyze
angstroms
antics
aortic
arsenal
axiom
basalt
battalion
bayou
behemoth
berserk
bibelot
blatant
boar
bolshevism
brouhaha
abdicate
absolution
abundant
accomplice
acerbate
acolyte
acumen
advocate
aggregate
agronomy
alkaline
alleviate
alloy
alpinist
ambrosia
anarchy
anomaly
antonym
appreciate
aspersion
bachelor
basilica
bauble
beatific
beneficence
betrothal
bifurcate
blithe
bogus
bonhomie
buoyant
Page 2 of 8
abode
absorption
abusive
accordion
acetone
acoustic
adequacy
affidavit
agitation
aisle
allay
alliance
alluvium
alteration
amiable
anchovy
antenna
anxiety
arrogance
austere
bailiff
bastion
bayonet
bedazzle
beret
bevy
bilious
blunder
boloney
brogan
bureaucracy
burgundy
calibrate
capillary
caramel
caribou
cathartic
champagne
chateau
chivalry
cicada
clemency
collateral
colossal
confabulate
conspiracy
consultant
contour
contrive
countenance
crimson
cruelty
cyanide
decrepit
despotism
detriment
diesel
dismantle
distraught
dour
dungeon
duvet
elocution
embassy
buttress
calypso
captivate
carbine
caricature
cauliflower
chapeau
chic
choreographer
clairvoyance
coincidence
colloquial
comatose
confetti
constraint
contagious
contradict
convoluted
covenant
crotchety
crypt
dazzle
delirious
deterrent
dexterous
digit
disquietude
diversify
druid
duplicate
dyslexic
elysian
embellish
Page 3 of 8
cachet
candor
carafe
careen
castanets
chambray
charisma
chimera
chromatic
clavicle
collage
cologne
concierge
confidence
construe
contempt
contrary
corrupt
cranium
crucible
cuckoo
declination
delta
detonate
dichotomy
disintegration
dissident
dormancy
ductile
duress
egalitarian
emancipation
embodiment
embryonic
emphatic
enamel
enthusiasm
epidermis
equivocation
ethnic
exhilarated
exodus
expertise
exponential
extraneous
factitious
feasible
femur
fidelity
finesse
fluctuate
foppish
forte
franchise
frivolous
galaxy
garrison
gendarme
gladiator
gossamer
gratitude
guarantee
harbinger
heirloom
hilarity
horde
emollient
emporium
endorse
enumerate
equanimity
erratic
euphoric
exhume
exotic
expiate
extinguish
fabricate
falderal
fedora
ferocity
filament
flagrant
fluid
forfeit
fractious
fraternize
frugal
galleon
garrote
germane
globule
gradient
gravitate
hacienda
haughtily
hemisphere
homburg
howitzer
Page 4 of 8
emphasis
emulate
enmity
environment
equestrian
espionage
exaggerate
exigent
expatriate
explicit
extortion
facile
fallacy
felicitation
festoon
filibuster
flourish
flummery
formulation
fragility
friar
fumigate
garlic
gauche
ghastly
googol
graffiti
grievance
halcyon
heifer
hermit
hooligan
huckleberry
humorous
hysterical
ignominy
impassive
impromptu
impulse
incisiveness
incredulous
indivisible
inept
innate
interrogate
inundation
jaundice
jettison
jubilant
knavery
languid
largesse
legume
loafer
localize
lummox
magenta
malicious
manganese
marionette
masticate
melancholy
metamorphosis
mimic
miserable
morose
hurricane
icicle
immaculate
impenetrable
impropriety
inaugural
incoherent
indelible
indolent
infatuation
inorganic
intimidate
jaguar
jealousy
jocund
kerosene
kudos
lantern
lassitude
lightning
loathe
lubricate
luster
magisterial
malleable
mantilla
marzipan
mauve
melanoma
migratory
miscellaneous
mitigate
mosquito
Page 5 of 8
hyphenate
igneous
impasse
impertinent
improvisational
incendiary
incongruous
indigent
indulgent
infectious
interference
intrepid
jalopy
jeopardy
jostle
kinesiology
lambaste
larceny
league
liturgy
lobster
lucrative
macabre
malediction
mandible
marathon
massacre
mediocre
meliorate
mimeograph
misconception
monotonous
moustache
multiplier
negligence
nocuous
nonchalant
nullify
occurrence
odometer
oligarchy
oscillation
oxidize
palaver
panache
parenthesis
patrician
peccadillo
peculate
penury
perilous
pertinence
pheasant
placid
plausible
pliancy
podiatrist
polymer
porcelain
postulate
precipitation
predicament
primitive
procurement
prognosis
prompt
nectar
nettlesome
nomad
notorious
oblivion
ocelot
officious
onus
ostrich
oxymoron
palfrey
paprika
pastry
patriotism
pecuniary
pellucid
perceptible
perpetrator
peruse
piteous
plateau
plebeian
plutonic
poignant
pomegranate
portentous
pragmatic
predator
predilection
privy
prodigal
prologue
pronouncement
Page 6 of 8
negativism
neurologist
nomenclature
nourishment
occupancy
odious
ointment
optimistic
outrageous
pachyderm
palooka
paralyze
pathetic
pavilion
pedigree
peninsula
perennial
perplex
pessimistic
placard
platitude
plenitude
pneumatic
poltroon
pomposity
posthumous
praline
predecessor
premonition
procrastinate
progeny
promontory
propaganda
propolis
psyche
pulpit
purveyor
querulous
quorum
ramshackle
receptacle
regalia
rehearsal
remnant
repertoire
requiem
restitution
rhetoric
rhythm
risotto
salmon
satirical
scald
selenium
serviceable
siege
sinew
skirmish
solicitor
sorcerer
spatula
squalid
stenography
strategy
stroganoff
subsidiary
prosaic
pugilist
pursuit
queasy
quintet
raiment
raspberry
rectitude
reggae
reluctantly
renegade
reprisal
residue
reticence
rheumatic
ridiculous
sabotage
sapphire
sayonara
sciatica
sentry
shrapnel
simplicity
singular
sojourn
solitaire
souvenir
spigot
stagnant
stevedore
stratocumulus
sublimation
sumo
Page 7 of 8
protoplasm
pullet
purulence
quench
quintuplet
rampant
reassurance
redolent
regurgitate
remedy
repatriate
reprobate
resonance
retrieval
rhizome
rigorous
sacrifice
sardonic
scaffold
scrawny
sepia
shrewd
simulate
sirloin
solemn
sombrero
spasmodic
sporadic
stalwart
strafe
strictly
subservience
superstition
suspensory
tabernacle
taxonomy
tenacious
therapeutic
timbre
tragedy
treacherous
trough
turret
ulcerated
ululate
urbane
usurper
utterance
valedictory
venal
vestibule
vigil
viscera
vocalize
volunteer
vulgarity
wallop
weevil
wizardry
yearling
zilch
zwieback
suspiciously
talisman
technology
testimony
thievery
timorous
tranquilizer
trepidation
turban
tutelage
ullage
umbrage
urgency
utility
vaccine
vandalism
versatile
veterans
vindicate
viscous
vocation
voracity
vulpine
waltz
wheelbarrow
wreckage
zealot
zodiac
zygote
Page 8 of 8
syndrome
tarantula
tempestuous
theatrical
threshold
topaz
transparent
triceratops
turbulence
typhoid
ultimatum
upholstery
usurer
utopian
vagrancy
velocity
vertebrate
viable
virago
visualization
vogue
vortex
wainscot
wampum
whimsical
wrought
zeppelin
zoologist
zymurgy