Alice Liu, Speller 242 and a Missouri sixth grader, just left the stage.
She misspelled "ebbet," the common green newt of the eastern United States.
Last year, Alice tied for 12th place. Then, she said she felt happy when she succeeded but got nervous when she approached the microphone.
“I felt my heart beating in my chest,” she said.
Alice said she’d tell other spellers that they should persevere when they think they’re good at something. She learned she was good at spelling when her teacher told her parents – who then told her.
Her least favorite words, she said, are those from trademarks and proper names. They don’t follow any rules, she said.
“Sometimes, I’m really mad at the dictionary,” she said. “They shouldn’t be in here.”
Alice likes to swim and jump waves, and reads fantasy novels.
“You can go somewhere without actually going somewhere,” she said.
Nicole Tsygan, Speller 250 and a Maryland seventh grader, is also out. She misspelled "debellation," the action of conquering.
