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The Bee Blog

Trying to do better

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 13:45

Speller 462, Rohan Raja, spelled "vanaprastha" correctly. It's a forest-dwelling Hindu hermit, especially one in the third stage of the Brahmanic scheme of life. "I'm feeling really happy," Rohan s...

Sebastian is out

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 13:37

Speller 389, Sebastian Castilla, an Ohio eighth grader, misspelled "koftgari," an Indian ornamental damascene work in which steel is inlaid with gold. "I'm excited to see what happens," Sebast...

One right word, one bell

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 13:33

"Gooood morning," speller 169, Darian Douglas said again, just before 1:30 p.m. This time, Dr. Bailly told him is was the afternoon. "How are you?" he asked the Jamaica seventh grader. "I'm r...

Meet Pranav

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 13:22

Speller 226, Pranav Chandar, spelled "planxty" correctly. It's a dance to an Irish melody for the harp written in triplets and slower than the jig. Pranav spelled deliberately, scribbling into...

So many ways to say it

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 13:17

"Are there any alternate pronunciations?" Anisha Rao, speller 32, asked. "Oh yeah," Dr. Bailly replied. He started to read them out as Anisha counted on her fingers. She held them up ...

More down

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 13:08

Two more spellers are out, and at the end of the round, there were 34 still in the competition -- six had misspelled. Sheridan Hennessy, speller 449 and an Ohio seventh grader, misspelled "terebint...

They are bringing the humor

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 12:44

Christopher Serrao, speller 427 and a New Jersey seventh grader, got the word "pervenche." Christopher, who tied for 34th place last year and 41st place in 2017, heard the following sentence to des...

Funny ha-ha

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 12:38

Colette Giezentanner, speller 304, burst into laughter when she heard the sentence for her word, "oxyrhynch." It's a crab having a pointed rostrum (the prolongation on the front central...

Slow down

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 12:24

"I don't want to put you off your game, but can you try to spell a little bit slower?" Dr. Bailly asked. Melodie Loya, speller 274, slowed down a tiny bit as she spelled "madrague," a large ne...

Gooood morning

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 12:20

"Gooood morning," Darian Douglas, speller 169, said to Dr. Bailly. It was 12:20 p.m. The seventh grader from Jamaica was clear about his word, though. He knocked out "Kneippism," treatm...

Returnees are gone

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 12:13

Two former finalists have been eliminated. Amith Vasantha, speller 80, tied for 19th place last year. Amith, a California eighth grader, misspelled "mouton," a processed sheepskin that has been she...

Tessellar

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 12:03

Sahil Langote, speller 79, spelled "tessellar" correctly. It's formed of or resembling small pieces (as of marble, glass or tile) cut usually with a square or rectangular face and used in mosaic ...

The bell once more

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 12:01

Nidhi Vadlamudi, speller 73, misspelled "kula," a Melanesian interisland system of exchange in which prestige items (as necklaces) are ceremoniously exchanged with a concomitant trade in useful g...

Lauren Guo is out

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 11:56

Lauren Guo, speller 52, high-fived her fellow spellers as she walked off stage. The Colorado eighth grader tied for 17th place last year. This year, she misspelled "lychnoscope," a window in medi...

Breaking it down

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 11:48

Vayun Krishna, speller 14, is a California sixth grader in his first Bee. He spelled "pyrheliometer" correctly, an instrument for measuring the sun's total radiant energy as received at...

At the end of the round

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 11:32

Maya Jadhav, speller 484, is a fifth grader who made the finals for the second time Maya, who is from Wisconsin, tied for 42nd place last year. This year, she misspelled "praseodymium," a yellowish...

Friendship at the Bee

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 11:18

Phoebe Smith, speller 375, hugged her friend Melodie Loya, speller 274, when both found out they were finalists. Phoebe, a Pennsylvania eighth grader and Melodie, who lives in New York, have become go...

Two down

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 11:10

Brendan Pawlicki, speller 310, is out. He misspelled "nuchal," of, relating to or lying in the region of the back part of the neck. The Michigan seventh grader was a top speller for three y...

Thank YOU

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 11:05

"Ichthyophagi," Dr. Bailly said to Colette Giezentanner, speller 304. "Thank you," the Missouri sixth grader replied. She correctly spelled the word, which means a people (as in...

Another one down

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 10:54

Jack Lado, speller 285, is out. The Michigan eighth grader misspelled "doraphobia," a dread of touching the skin or fur of an animal. Jack tied for 42nd place last year. ...