Jeopardy Spelling Decisions

Here are two collections of words that have been misspelled in Final Jeopardy! The first set shows spelling mistakes that were acceptable to the judges and the second shows spelling mistakes that were rejected.

The whole reply may be given, but only the correct spelling of the word in question is shown in parentheses.

THUMBS UP:

10-11-24 – WORLD POLITICAL HISTORY: William Whitelaw & John Peyton were also-rans in a 1975 leadership vote with this victor
ACCEPTED: Thacher (Thatcher)

9-24-21 – HISTORY OF THE 19-TEENS: Saying he ignored warnings of enemy vessels, the British admiralty sought to blame William Turner, this ship’s last captain in 1915
ACCEPTED: Luisitania (Lusitania)

10-25-19 – BRITISH HISTORY: In 2018 Parliament Square got its first statue of a woman, Millicent Fawcett, a founding member of the London Society for Women’s this
ACCEPTED: Sufferage (Suffrage)

1-18-18 – SNACK FOODS: The name of this cracker that’s been around since 1903 suggests that it was baked 3 times
ACCEPTED: Triskit (Triscuit)

12-1-16 – THE DECORATIVE ARTS: In the early 1700s in Dresden, King Augustus locked up a chemist until he found how to make this product dubbed “white gold”
ACCEPTED: Porcelein (Porcelain)

9-29-16 – MYTHOLOGY: Banished from Athens, this inventor found trouble on Crete too, but escaped.
ACCEPTED: Daedelus and Deadalus (Daedalus)

9-28-16 – HISTORIC HOMES: Also known as the “House of His Majesty”, Fairfield House in England was the home of this African leader from 1936 to 1941.
ACCEPTED: Salassie (Selassie)

7-8-2016 – TRANSPORTATION: The Trans-Siberian Railway, one of the world’s longest, spans 5,770 miles from Moscow to this port city on the Sea of Japan.
ACCEPTED: Vladivostock (Vladivostok)

5/2/2016 – WORD ORIGINS: From the Greek for “all views”, this word was 1st used to describe a large 1787 painting of Edinburgh by artist Robert Barker.
ACCEPTED: Panarama (Panorama)

1/21/2015 – FICTION: A line in this short story is “slowly, awkwardly trying out his feelers, which he now first learned to appreciate…”
ACCEPTED: Metamorphisis (Metamorphosis)

12/5/2014 – HEALTH & MEDICINE: In 1985 the Surgeon General called this “the best rescue technique in any choking situation”.
ACCEPTED: all 3 players misspelled one or both words in Heimlich Maneuver
(1) Manuveur; (1) Hiemlick; (2) Manuever

11/12/2014 – THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: The 3 Latin phrases found in the Constitution are “pro tempore”, “ex post facto” & this legal 2-word phrase.
ACCEPTED: Habeus Corpus (Habeas)

11/05/2014 – ARTISTS: Illustrations by this man show why his name has become the standard for children’s book artistry.
ACCEPTED: Caldicot (Caldecott)

04/30/2014 – ALBUM COVERS: This band used a picture of the Hindenburg disaster on the cover of its eponymous debut album.
ACCEPTED: Led Zepplin (Zeppelin)

10-26-2010 – SPORTS VENUE: In 2000 the Centre Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia was renamed for him.
ACCEPTED: R. Lavar (Laver)

1-18-2007 – ANIMATED CHARACTERS: The middle initial of this cartoon critter introduced in 1949 stands for Ethelbert
ACCEPTED: Wil E. Coyote (Wile)

1-20-2005 – AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN: This man who died in 1984 remarked, “We’re not in the hamburger business, we’re in show business”
ACCEPTED: Ray Kroch (Kroc)

10-12-2004 – WESTERN HEMISPHERE GEOGRAPHY: The 2nd-smallest independent country in area in the Western Hemisphere; in the ’80s it was invaded by the 2nd largest.
ACCEPTED: Granada (Grenada)

5-13-2004 – AMERICANA: Beginning an American tradition, in 1801 Aaron Burr’s daughter Theodosia & her new husband honeymooned here.
ACCEPTED: Niagra Falls (Niagara)

6-17-1997: 1990s AFRICA: In 1994 these 2 African countries’ Presidents Habyarimana & Ntaryamira died in a plane crash.
ACCEPTED: Rwanda & Burindi (Burundi)

THUMBS DOWN:
6-17-2022 – 19th CENTURY CONTEMPORARIES: Congratulating her on the 1869 release of her biography, Frederick Douglass wrote, “I have wrought in the day –you in the night”
NOT ACCEPTED: Tubma -or- Tubmn (Tubman)

10-7-2021 – WINTER OLYMPIC SPORTS: The official Olympic website says this event “has its roots in survival skills” practiced in the snowy forests of Scandinavia
NOT ACCEPTED: Biathalon (Biathlon)

2-18-2021 – 19TH CENTURY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS: The first campaign of this man, who at 36 was the youngest major party nominee ever, was supported by the silver mining industry
NOT ACCEPTED: William Jennings Bryant (William Jennings Bryan)

9-15-2020 – THE MUSIC BIZ: In 2019, at a 60th anniversary event in Detroit, this producer announced his retirement saying he had “come full circle”
NOT ACCEPTED: Barry Gordy (Berry Gordy)

12-29-2017 – BROADWAY: Following a show’s success in 2011, this group began advertising, “You’ve seen the play…now read the book”
NOT ACCEPTED: Church of Jesus Christ & Latter Day Saints” (of Latter Day Saints)

12-26-2017 – CANADA: As a response to new developments there, this territory was carved out of the Northwest Territories in 1898.
NOT ACCEPTED: looks like “Yukon Territor- es?” (Territory)

2-2-2017 – THE U.S.A. The Empire State Building says that on a clear day you can see 5 states from the top: New York, New Jersey, Conn. & these 2.
NOT ACCEPTED: looks like “Massachuset” (Massachusetts)

11-11-2016 – FAMOUS FIRST NAMES: This first name of a 21st c. activist was inspired by that of a Pashtun heroine known as the Afghan Joan of Arc.
NOT ACCEPTED: Malalala (Malala)

7/27/2015 – CLASSICAL MUSIC: The first movement of the 1888 suite named for her is titled “The Sea and Sindbad’s Ship”
NOT ACCEPTED: Scherazade (Scheherazade)

7/23/2015 – COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES: the mission of this Western university founded in 1875 is “to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life”
NOT ACCEPTED: Bringham Young University (Brigham)

10/14/2013 – BIG COUNTRIES: In area, it’s the largest former Soviet republic after Russia & the largest nation that doesn’t border an ocean.
NOT ACCEPTED: Kazkhistan (Kazakhstan)

7/31/2013 – THE CIVIL WAR: Abraham Lincoln called this document, which took effect in 1863, “a fit and necessary war measure”
NOT ACCEPTED: Emanciptation Proclamation (Emancipation)

3/12/2012 – PEOPLE OF EUROPE: These people who ruled large parts of Spain before Celtic & Roman dominance left their name on the land.
NOT ACCEPTED: Ibernians (Iberians)

1/23/2008 -FAMOUS ENGLISHMEN: Andrew Carnegie’s future fortune & career were inspired by an 1873 visit with this inventor & engineer
NOT ACCEPTED: Besmer (Bessemer)

3/27/2006 – MILITARY HISTORY: In 2005 a single sapling was planted at an army barracks in Australia to mark the 90th anniversary of this battle
NOT ACCEPTED: Gallopoli (Gallipoli)

4/18/1990 – 13-LETTER WORDS: Word meaning “immeasurably small”; its first 8 letters are a word meaning “immeasurably great”
NOT ACCEPTED: Infinitessimal (Infinitesimal) – the extra “s” made it 14 letters

INTERESTING TITLE SITUATIONS: We see FJ answers get nixed for leaving a word out of a title or putting an apostrophe in the wrong place. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is notable for thumbs down when it shows up as “Midsummer’s”.

In this 2/11/2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions match, 2 players blew Final Jeopardy with mistakes on “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Arthur “All Quiet on Western Front” and Babu had “All’s Quiet on the Western Front”.

Notice that omitting the article “the” inside the title resulted in rejected. It has long been the rule that omitting a leading article is acceptable. (Example: writing down “King’s Speech” instead of “The King’s Speech”)