WordPlay: Chemical Elements in the Spelling Bee
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The LexiConnexxions analysis has identified 50 CHEMICAL ELEMENT NAMES in the Spelling Bee lexicon.
There are 118 chemical elements. Their appearance in (or exclusion from) the Spelling Bee may be categorized follows:
ELIGIBLE: 50 of the 118 element names are eligible for inclusion in the Bee, as follows:
23 words: ELIGIBLE AND INCLUDED: Eligible for inclusion and included every time it has been possible25 words: ELIGIBLE BUT NOT YET INCLUDED: Eligible for the Bee but there has never been a letter set to support each of these words 1 word: ELIGIBLE BUT THE EDITOR IS AMBIVALENT: Eligible for inclusion, but with a checkered history 1 word: ELIGIBLE BUT EXCLUDED: Eligible for inclusion but always excluded
POSSIBLE BUT UNLIKELY: Several dozen element names contain either E+R, or S, or both. The Spelling Bee has never included any words that contain both E and R, and the letter S appears so rarely in the Bee (read more HERE) that it can be considered exclusionary.
32 words: MAYBE SOMEDAY: Contains both E and R27 words: MAYBE SOMEDAY: Contains S
There is overlap between these two categories, of course, such as with “arsenic” or “seaborgium.”
IMPOSSIBLE: 33 of the 118 words are not eligible for inclusion:
32 words: IMPOSSIBLE: Has more than 7 unique letters 1 word: IMPOSSIBLE: Has fewer than 4 unique letters
All 118 words are shown below.
ELIGIBLE: 50 of the 118 element names are eligible for inclusion in the Bee, as follows:
23 words: ELIGIBLE AND INCLUDED: Eligible for inclusion and included every time it has been possible25 words: ELIGIBLE BUT NOT YET INCLUDED: Eligible for the Bee but there has never been a letter set to support each of these words 1 word: ELIGIBLE BUT THE EDITOR IS AMBIVALENT: Eligible for inclusion, but with a checkered history 1 word: ELIGIBLE BUT EXCLUDED: Eligible for inclusion but always excluded
POSSIBLE BUT UNLIKELY: Several dozen element names contain either E+R, or S, or both. The Spelling Bee has never included any words that contain both E and R, and the letter S appears so rarely in the Bee (read more HERE) that it can be considered exclusionary.
32 words: MAYBE SOMEDAY: Contains both E and R27 words: MAYBE SOMEDAY: Contains S
There is overlap between these two categories, of course, such as with “arsenic” or “seaborgium.”
IMPOSSIBLE: 33 of the 118 words are not eligible for inclusion:
32 words: IMPOSSIBLE: Has more than 7 unique letters 1 word: IMPOSSIBLE: Has fewer than 4 unique letters
All 118 words are shown below.
ABOUT THE LEXITOPICS PROJECT
CHEMICAL ELEMENTS in the Spelling Bee lexicon
ELIGIBLE AND ALWAYS INCLUDEDEligible for inclusion and included every time it has been possible: 23 words
ALUMINUMANTIMONYARGONBORONCARBONCHROMIUMCOBALTCURIUMGALLIUMGOLDIODINEIRONKRYPTONLEADNEONNICKELRADONTANTALUMTITANIUMURANIUMXENONYTTRIUMZINC
ELIGIBLE BUT THE EDITOR IS AMBIVALENTEligible for inclusion, but with a checkered history: 1 word
INDIUM
Indium was allowed once, then disallowed four times, then allowed again, and has been accepted every time since (so far).
Indium’s history in the Bee:August 29, 2019 allowedFebruary 25, 2022 disallowedMarch 12, 2022 disallowedMay 5, 2023 disallowedApril 21, 2024 disallowedJuly 12, 2024 allowedOctober 3, 2025 allowedMay 7, 2026 allowed
Indium’s history in the Bee:August 29, 2019 allowedFebruary 25, 2022 disallowedMarch 12, 2022 disallowedMay 5, 2023 disallowedApril 21, 2024 disallowedJuly 12, 2024 allowedOctober 3, 2025 allowedMay 7, 2026 allowed
ELIGIBLE BUT NOT YET INCLUDEDEligible for the Bee but there has been no opportunity for their inclusion: 25 words
ACTINIUMBARIUMBOHRIUMCADMIUMCALCIUMDUBNIUMHAFNIUMHELIUMHOLMIUMIRIDIUMLANTHANUMLITHIUMNEPTUNIUMNIHONIUM ELEMENT 113NIOBIUMOXYGENPALLADIUMPOLONIUMRADIUMRHODIUMRUBIDIUMTHALLIUMTHORIUMTHULIUMVANADIUM
ELIGIBLE BUT ALWAYS EXCLUDED (SO FAR)Eligible for inclusion but always excluded: 1 word
LUTETIUMLutetium has been possible in several Bees but has never been selected.
MAYBE SOMEDAYContains S: 27 words
ARSENICASTATINEBISMUTHCESIUMDARMSTADTIUMDYSPROSIUMEINSTEINIUMHASSIUMMAGNESIUMMANGANESEMOSCOVIUM ELEMENT 115OGANESSON ELEMENT 118OSMIUMPHOSPHORUSPOTASSIUMPRASEODYMIUMSAMARIUMSCANDIUMSEABORGIUMSELENIUMSILICONSILVERSODIUMSTRONTIUMSULFURTENNESSINE ELEMENT 117TUNGSTEN
MAYBE SOMEDAY
Contains E+R: 32 words
AMERICIUMARSENICBERKELIUMBERYLLIUMBROMINECERIUMCHLORINECOPERNICIUMCOPPERERBIUMEUROPIUMFERMIUMFLEROVIUMFLUORINEGERMANIUMHYDROGENLAWRENCIUMLIVERMORIUMMEITNERIUMMERCURYNITROGENPRASEODYMIUMPROMETHIUMRHENIUMROENTGENIUMRUTHENIUMRUTHERFORDIUMSEABORGIUMSILVERTELLURIUMTERBIUMYTTERBIUM
IMPOSSIBLEHas more than 7 unique letters: 32 words
CALIFORNIUMLAWRENCIUMPROTACTINIUMRUTHERFORDIUMSEABORGIUMPRASEODYMIUMDARMSTADTIUMMOSCOVIUM ELEMENT 115FLUORINEFRANCIUMGERMANIUMHYDROGENLIVERMORIUMMAGNESIUMMENDELEVIUMNEODYMIUMNOBELIUMPLATINUMPLUTONIUMPOTASSIUMRUTHENIUMSCANDIUMTECHNETIUMYTTERBIUMZIRCONIUMCOPERNICIUMDYSPROSIUMFLEROVIUMGADOLINIUMMOLYBDENUMPROMETHIUMROENTGENIUM
IMPOSSIBLE
Has fewer than 4 letters: 1 word
TIN