Is ‘womyn’ an alternate spelling for ‘women’? ‘Feminist term’ on Spelling Bee list for 3rd graders sparks controversy

According to Merriam-Webster's website, “Womyn” is a “variant spelling of women” used in a “feminist context.”

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is facing backlash on social media after publishing its approved list of study words for third-graders. The list provides the spellings for children preparing for the upcoming competition, including regular words and alternate spellings. What has attracted social media users' wrath is the mention of the word “Womyn” as an alternate spelling to “Woman”.

The inclusion of the word “Womyn” as an alternate spelling to “Women” has left people furious, with many slamming the organisation. (Merriam-Webster)

What does ‘womyn’ mean?

According to Merriam-Webster's website, the word is listed as a “variant spelling of women,” adding that it is “used in some feminist contexts.”

Social media in disbelief:

Including the word in the list prompted angry comments from social media users. An individual wrote, “Word of the day is WOMAN/WOMEN. womyn is not an English word.” Another added, “How come my phone keeps trying to auto-correct me whenever I try to type 'womyn'? Is it not woke?”

A third joined, “As a former Scripps national spelling bee competitor, seeing ‘womyn’ accepted as an alternative spelling for ‘women’ is embarrassing. It turns a serious academic event into an absurd political spectacle.” A fourth expressed, “Spelling Bee now has womyn.”

How did the organisers react?

"All of the words used in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program are pulled from our official dictionary, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. During the 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," a spokesperson informed Fox News Digital in a statement.

"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," the individual added.

What else does the study list say?

“The School Spelling Bee Study List is broken down into three levels of difficulty: One Bee, Two Bee, and Three Bee. If you learn the spellings and meanings of these words, you will be well prepared for your third-grade classroom bee,” says the study list. It specifies that the “One Bee” words are for first grade, “Two Bee” is for second grade, and “Three Bee” is for third grade.