And then in the final spelling round of the semis, nine of the remaining 20 misspelled.

The word panel followed through on its plan to make the vocabulary questions more fair than last year’s only two were dinged on definitions. Of the 55 quarterfinalists, 33 were eliminated in the first spelling round of the semis. The semifinals in particular were a triumph of efficiency for Scripps and its word selection panel, perhaps aided by a first-of-its-kind, pre-bee standardized test that allowed Scripps to assess the spellers’ abilities.

The finalists made their way unscathed through eight rounds - five spelling, three vocabulary - and Dev was one of a handful who never looked flustered. Brian Sietsema, the bee’s associate pronouncer.ĭev: “Does this come from the Greek ‘oikos,’ meaning house?” “Does this come from the Greek ‘peri,’ meaning around?” Dev asked. (AP) - Confidence on the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage manifests itself in subtle ways, like spellers asking questions even though they know the answers.ĭev Shah, one of 11 spellers who made it through Wednesday’s semifinals and will return Thursday to compete for the winner’s trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes, was given the word “Perioeci” and quickly eliminated any suspense with his onstage banter.

Download though he slay me