the word explorer

Finalists received many requests for interviews this evening!

My sister has been cheering me on at spelling bees since she was 4 years old!

45 Finalists will compete tomorrow.

Round 3 was nerve-wracking for many of the spellers including me!

This morning, Round 2 of the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee commenced. The round started with 284 spellers. Unfortunately, a total of 34 spellers missed their words and were eliminated from the competition. Round 3 started with 251 spellers and saw 80 spellers eliminated. Unlike past years in which a study list was provided for Rounds 2 and 3, this year the only source of words for Round 3 was Webster’s Third Unabridged Dictionary.

In Round 2, I spelled lenticula correctly and was able to move on to Round 3, in which I spelled the word felicific. I certainly felt very felicific when Dr. Bailly told me I had spelled the word correctly!

Up to fifty spellers with the highest scores through Round 3 move onto the Finals which occur tomorrow morning and end in the evening. I am proud to announce that I am one of the 45 Finalists competing tomorrow morning!   I received a beautiful medal and I am just so thrilled to be a Finalist representing my home state of Kentucky. Please see spellingbee.com for the broadcasting schedule.