Associated Press
WASHINGTON – A Washington state teen is among 90 die-hard contestants who will compete for the title of the nation’s top speller today, after surviving the crucible of Round 1 plus a grueling, 25-word written test in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.
The competition began early Wednesday with 250 contestants, but only 175 made it as far as the test. Rebecca Munoz Varon, 13, of Seattle was one of the contestants to survive the day, according the event’s Web site, www.spellingbee.com.
The written test was unprecedented but necessary to reduce the competition from three days to two, organizers said. The 25 words ran the gamut from elementary (“allot,” “solvency”) to advanced (“decoupage”) to nearly impossible (“geusioleptic,” “boswellize,” “scagliola”).
Most contestants said the exam was tougher than they had anticipated.
“This was the hard part, this test,” said Michael Zivat, 14, of Chicago, as he looked over the list. “The oral rounds were easier – you only had one word and you had time to think it over.”
Asked how he did, Michael shook his head. “Not too good.” He went back over many of the words, changing the spellings. “I second-guessed myself.” He didn’t make it, missing more than the nine words allowed.
As he reviewed the official list, Andy Wade, 10, of Scott Depot, W.Va., said he got 18 correct. Asked how he knew, Andy simply said, “I remembered how I spelled the words.” He was right – he’ll continue on today.
Spelling bee lists are always tricky, but this year’s list has its share of humdingers, including “scrobiculate,” “escabeche,” “farinaceous,” “iatrogenic,” “psittacism” and “Nietzschean.”
This year’s winner takes home $12,000. The spellers come from every state except Vermont and Utah, and from several U.S. territories.
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