Christine Alex of Chicago, front left; Sumedh Garimella of Duluth, Ga.; and Mary Horton of West Melbourne, Fla., wait for their turn during the semifinals of the National Spelling Bee. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
Speller Shayley Grace Martin of Riner, Va., reacts after correctly spelling a word in Round 6 of the 2014 National Spelling Bee. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
Sixth-grader Jae Canetti, 12, of Fairfax, Va., cringes after incorrectly spelling “parseval” during the semifinals of the National Spelling Bee. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
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Speller Muriel Cotman, of Cuero, Texas, competes during the preliminary rounds of the 2014 National Spelling Bee. (Chuck Myers / McClatchy-Tribune)
Speller Kate Miller, of Abilene, Texas, competes in the 2014 National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Md. (Chuck Myers / McClatchy-Tribune)
Harry Harman of New Concord, Ohio; Dylan O’Connor of Alexandria Bay, N.Y.; and Tajaun Gibbison of Mandeville, Jamaica, celebrate after advancing to the semifinals of the 2014 National Spelling Bee. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)