Eager to find yet another thing they can be outraged about, the MAGA faithful went nuclear after learning that the Scripps National Spelling Bee has added a new variant to a word on its approved study list for third graders, even though the variant has long appeared in dictionaries across the world.
According to reporting from Fox News, “Study lists for the contest found on school district websites for the 2024-2025 school year list the feminist term, ‘womyn,’ as an acceptable alternate spelling for ‘women’ that students can use.”
Scripps explained why they added the “womyn” variant:
“In building our study lists, we aim to include alternate spellings for any words that have them listed in Merriam-Webster. The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary is the final authority and sole source for the spelling of all words offered in competition.”
“All of the words used in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program are pulled from our official dictionary, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. During competition, our policy is to accept any correct spelling listed in our official dictionary that isn’t marked archaic or obsolete. The alternate spelling ‘womyn’ is therefore included on our study list because it is listed as an alternate spelling for ‘women’ in Merriam-Webster.”
“Womyn” is in the dictionary, so it has to be included as correct by Scripps because it’s accepted as a legitimate way of spelling the word, whether you like it or not.
Right-wingers on social media quickly made it clear they’re furious over anything that doesn’t comport with their narrow view of the world.
