Can you spot the mispeled word in this sentence? There is an error of contest in this sentence. And a typpo in this one.

The answers are: misspelled, context and typo. If you correctly guessed all of them, you might be able to safely turn off the auto-correct feature on your computer or smartphone. The rest of us are in desperate need of spellcheck and auto-correct, and according to a recent article on the Education and Family section of BBC News, two-thirds of adults are very attached to this corrective writing systems; something that in the end could spell trouble for their careers.

Linguistic contests like Spelling Bees in the United States, Spellathon Championships in the United Kingdom, and “concursos de deletreo u ortografia” in Costa Rica are wonderful ways for contestants to show off their lexical knowledge. The spelling contests in Costa Rica, however, lack the high level of enthusiasm and seen in the U.S. and the U.K. The Ministry of Public Education (MEP) in Costa Rica organizes a national grammar tournament that in the past has been sponsored by newspaper La Prensa Libre. Spelling contests can be exciting; in 2002 the final round was a nail-biter that came down to a diacritical mark (a tilde) over a vowel to decide the champion. Diego Alejandro Aguirre Abarca went on to represent Costa Rica in the Iberia and Latin America championship in Argentina that year.

What is interesting about the history of the spelling contests in Costa Rica is that students from rural schools consistently manage to take top honors. Good for them, since such lexical ability and affinity for the spoken and written language can translate into brighter futures. A recent online article in Slate magazine looked at the lives and careers of Spelling Bee champions in the United States. According to that article, most spelling aces in the U.S. tend to fare better than average in life, continuing on to higher education and starting careers as attorneys, doctors, engineers, and scientists.

What happens to poor spellers and the rest of us who are not adept Scrabble players? We are part of the auto-correct generation, according to the BBC article mentioned above. Auto-correct, spellcheck, and T9 predictive typing applications are giving us false impressions about our linguistic ability. Many employers look for language skills, even if they do not explicitly listed in their job postings. A single misspelling or auto-correct gaffe on a curriculum vitae or resume may no longer be tolerated in today’s highly competitive job market.

Last year, the Rotary Club of Alajuela sponsored five schools and organized a spelling tournament that consisted of elimination rounds within the schools and a final spelling showdown between three representatives from each institution. According to the Rotary Club, there was a high degree of enthusiasm and participation by the students; something that bodes well for future tournaments.

There is a strong focus on science and math education in Costa Rica at the time, and this is in great part due to the growth of high technology outsourcing that our country has experienced in the 21^st century. While it is commendable for Costa Rica to develop an interest in science, not all students will show the adequate proclivity. Spelling contests are great ways to foster curiosity and skill in language, and Costa Rica could use a new generation of Ticos who are not 100 percent dependant (see?) on auto-correct.