Excellan* (for Excellen*)

As your self-appointed spelling teacher here today, I would love to give you all an "Excellent!" on today's letter-laden lesson. But to get a good grade, you'll have to recall that the words excellent and excellence—ironically enough—do not have a single A in them, but rather three E's. Spelling can seem "aesy," but truly excellent spellers often employ a number of twitchy mnemonics in their quest for world domination. Some of the kids in the recent Scripps National Spelling Bee were seen typing out their letters on invisible keyboards. Others tap their thighs or move their lips or stare at a spot on the ceiling. And some of them "air write" the words with their finger, much like an airplane might skywrite a message for an advertiser. Anyway, try not to let your mind become clouded, and keep your eye on the big picture. Just like with the imposing photo featured above, focus is key. There were 47 examples of of Excellan* in OhioLINK, and 636 in WorldCat.

(Hotel Excellence Riveria, "not so much a photo of the hotel, but the clouds overhead," Feb. 20, 2010, from Wikimedia Commons.)

Carol Reid