Credit: Getty Images.

This year, the Scripps National Spelling Bee will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Students 15 years of age and under compete in local events to qualify for the national finals, to be held May 27-29 in Maryland.

The winner receives a trophy and a check for $50,000. All the participants (hopefully) win something even more valuable — the right to go back to being a normal kid. No more late nights and weekends cramming to learn hundreds of obscure words printed on index cards by their overbearing parents! No more tension headaches! No more doubling up on the Adderall!

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Last year’s winner, Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old from Tampa, Florida, put on a dazzling display, correctly spelling 29 most-people-never-heard-of-these-words in 90 seconds.

Among the words he effortlessly spelled: heautophany (manifestation of self), nachschläge (a musical ornament consisting of one or several........

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