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AP PHOTOS: Spelling bee brings out intense reactions

AP PHOTOS: Spelling bee brings out intense reactions | iNFOnews.ca
The last speller of the day, Eleanor Tallman, 13, from Flower Mound, Texas, spells her word incorrectly during the second round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

OXON HILL, Md. – Competitors in the Scripps National Spelling Bee often struggle to contain their emotions as they react to obscure, complicated or tricked-up words that they may have never heard before.

Not knowing a word doesn’t always mean a speller will get it wrong — the savviest competitors can piece together a word by relying on their knowledge of roots and language patterns.

This year’s bee had a record 515 participants, 16 of whom advanced to Thursday night’s ESPN-televised finals. Spellers who’ve made deep runs at previous bees have loud cheering sections from friends they’ve made over years of spelling at the highest level.

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