Two spelling traditions: the Spelling Bee versus La Dictée
It is quite ironic that the most often misspelled word in English is: « misspell »!
Spelling is important in English and part of learning it. English speakers remember spelling bees from grade school. Classroom competitions right up to nationals! The first national United States Spelling Bee* was in 1925. Soemtimes it is part of the country fair along with 4H. The word « bee » is usually used to describe a get-together for communal work, like a quilting bee or a husking bee during harvest time. The word probably comes from been or bean (meaning « help offered by neighbors »), from Middle English bene (meaning « prayer », « boon » and additional service to one’s lord). A spelling bee or test is based on single words being spelt properly!
In France a similar exercise is in fact a much harder one called La Dictée . It has caused plenty of trauma amongst les écoliers as it is much more thorough than a spelling bee. The leader reads a text aloud and the competitors must write it down, word for word. So you must not only worry about spelling correctly, but also conjugate verbs, make genders and numbers agree and punctuate. La Dictée is part of every French child’s education starting quite young. La Dictée is such a long standing tradition in France it is a sort of national sport. The Rotary Club of France (and other organizations), which is particularly focussed on literacy as one of their pet causes, sponsors an annual national dictée. It is also part of Pagnol films such as Topaze. The French even have a song about the terrors of La Dictée by Michel Fugain called Dis Oui au maître! La Dictée was perceived at best as tedious, painful and boring. La Dictée was in no way synonymous with pleasure.
Then there was Bernard Pivot, who passed away in May 2024. Monsieur Pivot was a literary talkshow host on television who ran the shows Apostrophes and La Grande Librairie. Generations of French people know his name. Everybody liked him. He was fair, avuncular, curious, genuine and genuinely interested in the books and authors he interviewed. He embodied French literature and reading. He was also the host of La Grande Dictée. He wanted to transform this terror of learning the French language into a fun activity for the French. Pivot instilled his mischief in his texts, impressived many with his mastery of language in the syntax traps he laid, and was precise but never exaggerated in his delivery and he presented the corrections with kindness and a reassuring smile. People came to love La Dictée and many adults went back to doing them along with the official competitors when Monsieur Pivot broadcast his reading of the annual text live on TV. He turned La Dictée into a worldwide francophone competition and every body loved it. His death left a big hole in French culture.
Above is a video of Monsieur Pivot presenting the correction of La dictée 1989 in the lovely reading room of the National Library. It is interesting to note many of the competitors are not French. You’ll see in the comments under the video on the Youtube page how people appreciated Monsieur Pivot.
- Practice texts from the Rotary Club’s past dictées can be found here.
- There are also several books by Bruno Dewaele, Le champion du monde d’orthographe. Chaque dictée est accompagnée d’explications limpides pour toutes les difficultés de la langue française rencontrées. Orthographe, grammaire, conjugaison, mais aussi vocabulaire! Les textes de Bruno Dewaele sont vivants, inventifs et dépoussièrent avec humour l’exercice redouté de l’indémodable dictée. Plus qu’un livre, 101 Dictées est en fait un indispensable manuel orthographique pour tous les amoureux de la langue française. Les éditions de l’Opportun.
- Sandrine Campese created mnemonic devices to help you spell correctly in French. She compiled them into a book 99 dessins pour ne plus faire de fautes.
- For a thorough look at spelling history (and spelling reform, because French spelling is being officially reformed) in French enjoy this blog post by Parisian Fields.
Below FUSAC has compiled a list of the the hardest words to spell in French. Quiz yourself ! It can be fun if you go at it with the right attitude as Monsieur Pivot demonstrated. And when you are done – try the English quiz farther down the page.
La Dictée can include the 25 hardest words to spell in French
Test yourself: Which of these spelling is correct?
1) A. Intéressant B. Intéresant C. Interesant
2) A. Aileurs B. Ailleurs C. Ailleur
3) A. avoir affaire à B. avoir afaire à C. avoir a faire à
4) A. Un cauchemard B. Un cauchemar C. Un cochemar
5) A. déveloper B. dévelloper C. développer
6) A. Un parallèle B. Un parallèlle C. Un parrallèle
7) A. Parmit B. Parmi C. Parmis
8) A. Le public B. Le publique C. La public
9) A. Soi-disant B. Sois-disant C. Soi-dissant
10) A. Le soustien B. Le soutient C. Le soutien
11) A. Voluntiers B. Volontiers C. Volontier
12) A. Millieu B. Milieux C. Milieu
13) A. Une pilule B. Une pillule C. Une pilulle
14) A. Une ballade B. Une balade C. Un balad
15) A. Cueillir B. Cuellir C. Cullier
16) A. Un sattellite B. Un satellite C. Un sattelite
17) A. Un acceuil B. Un accuel C. Un accueil
18) A. Piédestal B. Pedestal C. Piedestal
19) A. Rythme B. Rhythme C. Rithme
20) A. Rennommée B. Rénomée C. Renommée
21) A. Transquillité B. Tranquilité C. Tranquillité
22) A. Une colonne B. Une collonne C. Une collone
23) A. L’abcence B. L’absense C. L’absence
24) A. Un événement B. Un evenement C. Un événnement
25) A. Rebellion B. Rébellion C. Rébelion
answers: 1A; 2B; 3A; 4B; 5C; 6A; 7B; 8A; 9A; 10C; 11B; 12C; 13A; 14A and B (but they have 2 different meanings); 15A; 16B; 17C; 18A; 19A; 20C; 21C; 22A; 23C; 24A; 25B
Test: The 25 hardest words to spell in English
- For a quiz of hardest words to spell in English click here.
- Here you’ll find mnemonic devices to help you with the hardest words in English.
