Circa. 1970. I am one of 5 remaining contestants of a class of 30 in Miss Winik's spelling bee.

Ms. Winik: "The word is taught"
Me: "tot, t-o-t, tot"
Ms. Winik: "wrong"

Dead silence (seemed like two hours). Edmund Carafa burst into laughter. The class followed and I cringed. I didn't realize I should have asked to have the word used in a sentence. I was ripped off. This memory was vividly recalled while we watched an entertaining documentary, Spellbound.