The Bee Blog

So are we all

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 16:44

Raghav Dhandi, Speller 492, spoke for all the spellers on stage when he told Dr. Bailly how he was feeling today. "I'm antsy," the Vermont seventh grader said. "You?" Raghav spelled "perionychia...

More food recommendations from Dr. Bailly

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 16:40

Have you tried reblochon? It's a a soft French whole-milk cheese of delicate flavor. "It's a good one," Dr. Bailly remarked to Speller 463, Tristan Harper, a Texas eighth grader. He sp...

High fives

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 16:22

Akash Vukoti, Speller 459, was in 2016 the youngest speller at the Bee. Now, he's a Texas third grader who celebrated his birthday Tuesday during the competition. His word was "Tibetan," and he ask...

Ahoy!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 16:06

Sarah Roberts, Speller 437, nearly danced to the microphone. But then the Virginia eighth grader heard from Dr. Bailly, and got nervous. "This word has some homonyms," he greeted her. "Uh oh. OK...

We've seen you before

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 15:55

Jack Miller, Speller 418, is in his final Scripps National Spelling Bee. The Texas eighth grader tied for 50th place in 2015, 172nd place in 2016 and 41st place in 2017. His sister, Kate, competed for...

Hola

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 15:41

"Hola," said Caleb Xiao, Speller 416, as he approached the mic. "Hola," Dr. Bailly responded. "Que tal?" The South Carolina seventh grader giggled, then spelled "glossopyrosis" correctly. I...

Chatter

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 15:26

Lucas Tardif, Speller 366 and a New York eighth grader, asked Dr. Bailly to spell "coriaceous" for him. Luckily, Lucas figured out how to spell it himself. It means, like leather in appearance, t...

The biggest laugh lines (so far)

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 15:15

Aashi Parikh, Speller 354, had the word "entomologist," one specializing in a branch of biology concerned with insects. Her sentence: "In the lesser known third stanza, Little Miss Muffet call...

Really nervous

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 15:11

Snehal Choudhury, Speller 361, said she was "really nervous" when she approached the mic. "Well, let's get down to business then," Dr, Bailly told the Ohio eighth grader. They did, and she spell...

International spellers

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 14:53

The first of three South Korean spellers -- Kyung Dong Kim, Speller 349 and in eighth grade -- is out after misspelling "sillographer," a writer of satires. In addition to South Korea, ot...

A more common question

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 14:46

Meena Seshadri, Speller 330, asked a question that more and more spellers are asking: Can you give me everything? For the Oklahoma seventh grader, it helped her spell "bulbul," a Persian songb...

Cooking advice from Dr. Bailly

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 14:35

"Hey. What's up? Nice to meet you," said Abby Zheng, Speller 325 and a South Carolina eighth grader. Her word was "carambola" -- a five-angled, green to yellow, somewhat acidic fruit of a sout...

A quick break

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 14:19

Morgan Bumgardner, Speller 312 and a Nevada seventh grader, misspelled "oneirocritic," an interpreter of dreams. Morgan is the 40th speller to misspell so far. To this point, 311 spellers have...

Noteworthy

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 14:00

The spelling is coming fast and furious, but there are always some chances for levity. Zekey Huang, Speller 233, asked Dr. Bailly how he was doing as he came to the mic. "I'm doing fine. Ready t...

It's better if you spell it

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 13:54

"Could you spell the word for me?," asked Nora Cunningham, speller 276. "You know, I always hope I don't have to do that," Dr. Bailly replied. Luckily, he didn't. The Michigan seventh grader ...

Twins!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 13:48

There are two sets of twins at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this year -- something that's never happened before. When Andrew Marcev, Speller 264, spelled "Dorcopsis" correctly, it mark...

More down

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 13:41

Karrissa Zanett, speller 256, is out on "flechette," a small dart-shaped projectile clustered in an explosive warhead, dropped from an airplane or fired from a handheld gun. She's a Montana ei...

We brought the bees

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 13:38

Tanusree Makwana, speller 253, has bees all around her -- including a large bee on the ceiling above her head. The bees wouldn't help the Michigan eighth grader with her word, melittologist, w...

Two more down

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 13:31

Stephanie Lewis, Speller 247 and a Nebraska eighth grader, got out on "cacaxte," a square wooden packing frame or crate that has four legs and a net cover and is carried on the back especially by...

Thank you, thank you

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 13:19

Will Robson, speller 232 and a Massachusetts eighth grader, is out on "achondroplasia," failure of normal development of cartilage resulting in dwarfism. In coming to the Scripps National...