Minnetonka middle schooler Max Meyer is returning to the Scripps National Spelling Bee after dominating the Twin Cities metro area's regional bee earlier in March.
It's Meyer's second time at the May national spellers' championship, where he tied for 11th out of 285 last year. He lives in Shorewood and attends Minnetonka Middle School East.
His winning word, "revendicate," propelled him to victory at the Twin Cities Metro Area Regional Spelling Bee March 20. Meyer's other correctly-spelled words there: "tippet," "exultantly," "maladroit," "sansei," "bellicose," "madeleine" and "alderman."
The 13-year-old's repeat appearance at the national bee comes after his no-error spell streak in last year's championship. But that alone didn't send Meyer to the finals; contestants get ranked in part by scores from multiple-choice spelling and vocabulary tests.
He will be feeling more ready this year, he said in a release from the Minnetonka school district.
"I'm going to be a lot more prepared than last year and probably have more confidence this time around," Meyer said. "I'm probably going to feel more pressure to do better than I did last year though, too. But overall, I'm very excited to be going back."
National Bee by the numbers since 1925 Champions 93 Girl champs 48 Boy champs 45 Co-champions 5 Numbers from a Minnetonka school district release.
Words Meyer spelled correctly at the regional bee (and what they mean), according to Merriam-Webster's website:
