Do you use any of these often?

Very few manage to spell these 12 words correctly: What about you?

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As great as it is, the English language can be tricky. If all of its words were easy to spell, there would be no spelling bee contests. But they do exist. The downside of having words for almost everything is that the level of complexity usually grows as the word becomes more specific. Take a look at the following 12. Do you use any of these?

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This tricky word means "indigenous" or "native" and often trips people up. Its Greek origin, length, and three "th" sounds make it a tough one in spelling bees.

A good idea for children looking to master complicated words is to get familiar with Greek-derived words and their patterns, such as "auto," meaning self.

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A tricky medical term used to define a drug replacement, this word throws spellers off with its double "c" and odd suffix. Remembering the root "succeed" can help with the start.

As not all double letters are pronounced differently from single ones, this is one of the biggest challenges anyone at a spelling bee contest faces.

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"Cymotrichous" is a rare word that means wavy-haired and comes from the Greek language.

The spelling bee aficionado should remember that the first part, "cymo", means wave, and the second part, "trichous," means hair.

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This incredibly complicated word, one of the longest in the English language, means describing something as worthless. It often stumps spellers with its length and complexity.

To tackle it successfully, break it into smaller parts and take it syllable by syllable.

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This long word refers to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Its Greek roots and length make it tough to spell.

A spelling aficionado should break it into parts like "oto," "rhino," "laryngo," and "logist" to make it easier.

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This word describes a musical term. It is a sixty-fourth note and is tough due to its length and structure.

To make it easier on themselves, spelling bee contestants should break it into parts: "hemi," "demi," and "semi."

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Asceticism means avoiding indulgences or temptations, often for religious reasons. It’s about living simply and with discipline.

While not as long as some of the previous examples, this word can be tricky due to the "sc" at the start and the use of "s" and "c" within different syllables of the word.

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Crustaceology is the study of crustaceans like crabs and shrimp. It’s a branch of marine biology.

As with many of the examples above, the spelling difficulty of this word is given by the fact that it is very seldom used, unless you are a specialist in the matter.

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The word hydrophyte refers to a plant that grows in or on water. These plants thrive in aquatic environments.

The complexity of its spelling lies in the two "y" and two "h" letters, which should be placed correctly by the spellers.

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This word is used to describe the specific items needed for an activity. It’s often misspelled because of how people pronounce it.

This common mistake happens when it is pronounced "para-fa-NEEL-ia," dropping the second "r" and changing the vowel sounds. Spellers should pay attention to this to avoid the same mistake.

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This word can refer either to a county in England or a tangy sauce made with vinegar, sugar, and spices.

It’s tricky because it’s pronounced "wu-stur-shr," which doesn’t really match its long spelling. Anyone attempting to spell it correctly should pay attention to its complex lettering.

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This ridiculously complex word is an apt closer to our list, since it describes the fear of long words. And, while probably no spelling bee contestant has this kind of fear, he or she would probably have a hard time spelling this one.

This word has 36 letters in total. Among them, 6 "p", 7 "o", and 2 "h". How’s that for a spelling bee word?

What’s in a name?

Margaret, Pearl, and other names you didn’t know were related

Names are fascinating because they are much more than mere identification. They carry meanings that sometimes originate from faraway places, centuries past. Names can change so much that, centuries down the line, a John, a Sean, an Ivan, and a Jean can gather without realizing they are all named after different versions of Ioannes.

In this article, let’s explore 10 different cases of names that may look different but are connected by their shared origins and meanings.

If you walk down the street, the chances of coming across someone named James or Jacob are quite high. But did you know that James and Jacob are actually the same name? Jacob is the English version of the Hebrew Yaakov, meaning "supplanter"—the name of a prominent Israelite patriarch. It entered English through Greek (Iakobos) and Latin (Iacobus).

However, Latin also had a popular version of the name, Iacomus, adopted by many Romance languages: Giacomo in Italy, Tiago in Portuguese, Jaime, Iago, and Santiago in Spanish, and James in Old French. The name James eventually made its way into English alongside thousands of other French words after the Norman Conquest.

Fun fact: although they originate from the same root, Jacob is used for the Patriarch while James (and its equivalents) are traditionally used for the Christian apostle.

Although they started as nicknames, Nelly and Nora are now widely accepted as proper names. But where do they come from? Nora is the shortened version of Eleanor, originally from the medieval French Aliénor. The name was introduced into English when Aliénor of Aquitaine, mother of Richard the Lionheart, married King Henry II.

The shortened Nelly also became a name of its own. Unlike Nora, however, Nelly has been used as a nickname for several different names, including Eleanor, Helen, Elena, Danielle, Penelope, Natalie, Elizabeth, and even Nelson.

Augustus, meaning "great" or "majestic," was originally a Roman title given to emperors that eventually became a name and was incorporated into English as both Augustus and August. The Greek-speaking regions of the Roman Empire, however, had their own version of the title, Sebastos, which later evolved into names such as Sebastian, Bastian, and Bas.

And what about Austin? Augustine, another variant of Augustus, evolved into the popular form Agustín in Spanish. In Old French, Agustin was shortened to Aostin and eventually became Austin, which also found its way into English.

The names Beau and Bonnie may sound similar, but not for the reason you might think. While both mean "beautiful," "handsome," or "pretty," and both come from Latin via French, they actually derive from different roots.

Beau, typically a male name, comes from Old French bel, which in turn comes from Latin bellus, meaning "beautiful." Bonnie, a traditional Scottish female name, is derived from the French word bon/bonne (meaning "good"), which originates from the Latin bonus.

Is being good the same as being pretty? French isn’t the only language to suggest so. In Spanish, _bonito/bonita_—used to mean "pretty"—also comes from a diminutive form of bueno (good).

It’s not difficult to imagine a connection between Sophie and Sonia. They both come from the same Greek word, sophia, meaning "wisdom," and they even sound similar. But how did they evolve to their current versions?

Sophie is (to no one’s surprise) the French version of the name Sophia. Sophie was adopted into English much earlier than Sophia, and became especially popular in the 18th century. On the other hand, Sonia (sometimes spelled Sonja or Sonya) is of Russian origin, a diminutive form of the name Sofiya.

Following a trend on this list, the name Margaret is of French origin. The French version, Marguerite, came via Latin from margarites, a Greek word meaning "pearl." So, Margaret and Pearl? Essentially the same name.

But does Daisy also mean "pearl"? No. Daisy is of English origin, but it became a nickname for Margaret because marguerite is also the French word for the daisy flower. Over time, Daisy came to be used as a proper name in its own right.

Traditionally used as an epithet of the Greek goddess Hera, the name Alexander comes from the Greek elements alexein ("to defend") and andros ("of man"), meaning "protector of men."

Edmund has no Greek roots, but it is linked to Alexander by meaning. Of Old English origin, Edmund is formed from ēad ("prosperity" or "wealth") and mund ("protector"). With such strong meanings, it’s no surprise that both names have been borne by many kings and leaders throughout history.

Let’s start with the answer: Susan means "lily." But how?

The origins of the name Susan can be traced back to Ancient Egypt and Persia. In Egyptian, shoshen was the word for the lotus flower, a symbol often associated with purity and rebirth. In later linguistic transitions, it came to be used for the lily as well. From Persian shushana (also meaning lily), the name passed into Hebrew as Shoshannah, then into Greek as Sousanna, Latin as Susanna, and eventually English as Susan.

The name Liliana comes from the Latin word lilium, meaning "lily." From that root came Lilian and its many variations.

Deborah is a name of Hebrew origin, most famously the name of a biblical prophetess. Its root word, d’vora, means "bee" and has been interpreted as symbolic of the diligence and the protectiveness displayed both by the insect and by the biblical figure.

Melissa also means "bee," but its roots are Greek. The Greek word for "honey" is meli, and melissa was the word for "bee"—literally, "honey-maker."

There is no way all these names are the same, right? Well, while they aren’t equivalents and don’t come from the same root, they all relate to the color "red."

Rory and Flynn are both of Gaelic origin: Rory comes from ruadh (meaning "red") and means "red king," while Flynn (from the Irish Floinn) was originally a surname meaning "descendant of Flann" ("ruddy" or "of red complexion").

Before becoming a person’s name, sienna was a burnt red-orange color, named after the clay from the Italian city of Siena. The Latin rufus (from ruber, meaning "red") was an adjective used to describe someone who was "red-haired" or "ruddy."

And what about Adam? Doesn’t it mean "man" or "mankind"? Yes, it does, but it comes from the Hebrew adamah, meaning "earth" or "ground," because Adam was said to be made from the dust of the ground. Adamah was used specifically for red soil or red clay, and the name Adam has historically been interpreted as meaning "red" or "of red earth."