Spelling bee brings out intense reactions in young competitors

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.

Isabel Messina, 13, from Annapolis, Md., spells her word during the second round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Winston Zuo, 13, from Yorba Linda, Calif., left, and Matthew Rodgers, 13, from Severance, Colo., wait to spell their word during the 3rd Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Shiva Yeshlur, 13, from Rock Springs, Wyo., jumps into the air after correctly spelling "diastrophism" during the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Matthew Rodgers, 13, from Severance, Colo., waits to spell his word during the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Parents and supporters gather in front of the stage to photograph the medal winners advancing to the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Charles Millard, 13, from Frederick, Md., misspells his word during the second round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Erin Howard, 13, from Huntsville, Ala., spells her word correctly during the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Simone Kaplan, 12, from Davie, Fla., wears a dress with bees on it during the 2nd Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In this combination of photos, students compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., on May 29-30, 2018. The contestants are, top row, from left: Isaac Phillips, from Ponchatoula, La., Brody Dicks, from Park City, Utah, and Natalia Lutz, from Huntington Station, N.Y.; middle row, from left: Shiva Yeshlur, from Rock Springs, Wyo., Sophia Clark, from White Marsh, Md., and Nicholas Lee, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; bottom row, from left: Eleanor Tallman, Shria Halkoda, from Wadsworth, Ill., and Isabel Messina, from Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Amy Jung, 15, from Busan, South Korea, spells a word incorrectly during the 3rd Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Mollie Miner, 11, from Sedalia, Mo., misspells her word during the second round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Paul Hamrick, 14, from Monterey, Calif., pauses as he spells a word correctly during the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Lauren Guo, 12, from Arvada, Colo., competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Shruthika Padhy, 12, from Cherry Hill, N.J. second from left, slumps in her chair and closes her eyes as she sits with from left, Navneeth Murali, 12, from Edison, N.J. Sravanth Malla, 14, from Haverstraw, N.Y., and Noah Brandt, 15, from Jackson, Tenn., during the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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)

Simone Kaplan, 12, from Davie, Fla., wears shoes with bee themes on them during the 2nd Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Nicholas Lee, 14, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., reacts to spelling his word correctly during the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Nehem Felices, 13, from Lancaster, Pa., reacts after spelling a word correctly during the 3rd Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Karthik Nemmani, 14, from McKinney, Texas, is presented with the Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy by Adam Symson, president and CEO, E.W. Scripps Company, after he won the bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

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This gallery was produced by Courtney Dittmar, Don King and Patrick Sison in New York

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