For most people, standing in front of a room full of people can be daunting. For a young person, it can be even more intimidating. Now imagine being handed a microphone and asked to spell isosceles. Then ophthalmology. Or entrepreneurialism. And, for some contestants, words such as intsumantsumane or Mmamonomwane.
For students taking part in the University of the Free State’s (UFS) 2026 Multilingual and Multidisciplinary Spelling Bee, that was only part of the challenge.
Hosted by the UFS
Library and Information Services (LIS),
Words Without Borders brought students from three campuses, six faculties, and four languages into one competition. It was the first UFS spelling bee to combine multilingual and multidisciplinary categories, putting students from different fields and language backgrounds on the same stage.
A Natural and Agricultural Sciences student could find themselves competing alongside a student from Law or Health Sciences, while the language rounds moved between Afrikaans, English, Sesotho, and isiZulu.
Professor Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, who opened the event, remarked: “When students confidently engage with words across disciplines and languages, they are not simply spelling. They are expanding the boundaries of learning and intellectual curiosity. Multilingualism is not an add-on to academic life. It is a strategic asset that enriches scholarship, inclusion, and student development. I am inspired by initiatives such as this that empower students to step beyond familiar spaces, embrace challenges, and discover confidence in their own voices and abilities.”
Welcoming guests,
Larshan Naicker – Deputy Director of UFS Library and Information Services – said the competition reflected the library’s belief that language is central to how knowledge is shared and understood. He said the event gave students an opportunity to challenge themselves, build confidence, and celebrate multilingualism within the university community.
For
Kegomodicwe Phuthi, Assistant Director for Marketing and Community Engagement within Library and Information Services, the value of the initiative goes beyond getting a word right.
“The multilingual, multidisciplinary Spelling Bee is more than a spelling competition; it is a celebration of language, knowledge, diversity, and student confidence,” Phuthi said.
A competition that crosses disciplines
Siyakholwa Mtya won in Natural and Agricultural Sciences, with Rethabile Rathebe second and Mahlatse Modisane third. Chulumance Ndabeni took first place in Health Sciences, followed by Nontandoyenkosi Umlaw.
Felicia Mosa Chauke won in Economic and Management Sciences, followed by Palesa Khutha and Nokubonga Msiza. In Education, Shamaine Nkadimeng placed first, with Dimpho Ndlhovu and Sikhona Batshise in second and third.
Khutso Nyakale and Luthando Mkhize took the top two positions in Law. In The Humanities, Maserame Mokhatla won, followed by Rorisang Leqheka and Trevor Nonyane.
Phuthi said bringing students from different disciplines into the same competition was central to the initiative.
Four languages, one shared space
The multilingual category added another challenge, with students competing in Afrikaans, English, Sesotho, and isiZulu.
Karabo Mampa won the Afrikaans title, with Omphile Ncayiyana in second place. Yodidi Baba took the English title, followed by Lesedi Rakitla in second and Puseletso Maboee in third.
Tapile Mphuthi won the Sesotho title, followed by Akofa Rampai and Rethabile Mothabeng. In isiZulu, Noluthando Msomi placed first, with Sinothile Magubane and Bongiwe Mhlungu in second and third.
The winners represented the Bloemfontein, Qwaqwa, and South Campuses, bringing students from across the university into the same competition.
For the students, the challenge was immediate: listen, think, spell, and take the chance of getting an unfamiliar word right.
Students were not only spelling words from unfamiliar fields or languages. They were also meeting and competing alongside students whose academic and language experiences were different from their own.
“The ability to navigate multiple languages is increasingly a hallmark of global citizenship, intellectual agility, and responsible leadership. A university's strength lies in the diversity of perspectives it nurtures. Student success is built not only in laboratories, lecture halls, and libraries, but also in spaces where confidence, resilience, and curiosity are cultivated. Our Multilingual Spelling Bee demonstrates that language diversity is not a barrier to excellence. It is one of its most powerful enablers,” observed Prof Vasu Reddy.