MADISON, Wis. — Ethan Robert and Arnav Vempati, two eighth graders from southern Wisconsin, will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May after taking home first and second place at the Badger State Spelling Bee this Saturday.
Robert, from New Berlin, and Vempati, from Middleton, endured 19 rounds of both spelling and vocabulary testing, defeating their 5th through 8th grade competitors and showcasing their expansive knowledge of words. Robert dominated the bee, eventually winning first place with the word “analphabet.”
Words are selected by Scripps and organized into a list ascending by difficulty. As the competition progresses, words become more difficult and may include foreign language entries. Contestants are allowed to ask for definition, language of origin, part of speech, usage in a sentence and alternate pronunciations before answering…