Sophia successfully spelled “clematis” in the first round, then correctly identified the word “aberration” as “a shift from the usual state of things” in Round 2. However, she faltered on “trilobite,” spelling it “trilobyte.” The word refers to “any of numerous extinct Paleozoic marine arthropods having the segments of the body divided by furrows on the dorsal surface into three lobes.”
In Tuesday’s rounds of competition, 69 spellers were eliminated in Round 1 and 28 were eliminated in Round 2, meaning Lopez was among the 134 spellers who made it to Round 3. A total of 88 spellers eventually advanced past Round 3 to Wednesday’s competition.
Spellers in the National Spelling Bee compete in three sets of oral competition, beginning with a round of spelling, followed by multiple-choice word meaning, and continuing with rounds of spelling competition.
Preliminary competition took place Tuesday, and the quarterfinals and semifinals will run all day on Wednesday, beginning at 8 a.m. The 2022 finals will be televised on ION and streamed on Bounce at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 2.
About the Author
