So when competitor No7 at the lower South Island semifinal of the New Zealand Spelling Bee at Otago Museum made the mistake of spelling the word majestic with a "g'', he was gone.
What had been 14 competitors - all year 9 and 10 pupils - was now 13, and the words were coming thick and fast.
There was unison, perspective, suspense, priority, and then pursuit, which is not spelled "pursut''.
"You missed out an `i', I'm so sorry,'' pronouncer Owen Scott, of Auckland, told a competitor whose afternoon had come to an end.
It also does not help to over-think.
The next to be tipped unceremoniously from the contest asked the language of origin of her word, "japery''.
Told it was Middle English from Old French, she tried "japorie''; she was gone.
The spelling bee got into some pretty mean words, like malevolent, which competitor No5 spelled, after asking the language of origin, incorrectly.
He was gone.
In the end just two remained.
Luca Holloway and Annie Schofield will represent the South at a national final in Wellington in October.
Luca said there was a sense of dread when it was his turn to spell, while Annie said the event had been "pretty scary'', though both had enjoyed the experience.
Apart from Kavanagh and South Otago, James Hargest College, Queen's High School, Southland Boys' High School and St Peter's College were also represented.
