New Berlin student correctly spells 'metanym' to advance to National Spelling Bee semifinals
New Berlin seventh grader Ethan Robert has advanced to the semifinals of the National Spelling Bee on May 28 in National Harbor, Maryland.
"Metanym" is the latest word Robert spelled correctly in the quarterfinals of the competition, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025.
Robert is one of 57 spellers remaining in the competition and the last Wisconsin student represented on the stage. The semifinals will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. May 28.
Earlier on May 28, the New Berlin Eisenhower Middle/High School student advanced past the fifth round of the competition ― the second round of the quarterfinals ― after correctly answering the vocabulary question for the word albatross, a large seabird.
Before that, Robert correctly spelled the word adobo, a dish of Spanish origin consisting of meat marinated in a spicy sauce, browned and then simmered in the marinade.
During the preliminary rounds on May 27, Robert correctly spelled the word Promyshlennik, meaning Russian trappers and fur traders of Siberia and Alaska.
Robert isn't the only Wisconsin student competing this year, but he is the only one still remaining.
Another Wisconsin speller, Appleton sixth-grader Jacob Martonito, correctly spelled his first-round preliminary word but was eliminated on a vocabulary question in the second round on May 27.
Martonito, who attends Appleton Classical School, correctly spelled "Makgadikgadi Pans," the name of a Botswana basin filled with salt beds. However, he incorrectly answered a vocabulary question on the word "ingenuous."
The two students competed at Madison College in March to advance to the national competition.
The semifinals are from 7 to 9 p.m. May 28 on ION. The finals are from 7 to 9 p.m. May 29 on ION. You can also watch the livestream directly on spellingbee.com.
This competition has featured 243 spellers from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense Schools in Europe, along with five countries outside the U.S., according to Spelling Bee's website.
The winner will receive $50,000 cash and the official Scripps Cup trophy.
According to competition's website, Robert loves watching sports (especially the NFL), doing taekwondo, math and geography, hanging out with friends and online gaming. He also enjoys reading and listed the Percy Jackson series as his favorite book.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Berlin student advances to the National Spelling Bee semifinals
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