He made it to the third round Wednesday, but a Frenship ISD fifth grader will not face another word in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Matthew Noel, a 12-year-old student at Bennett Elementary School, made it to the national bee for the first time this year.
To get there, Noel correctly spelled “nougat” at a local qualifying competition, according to the National Spelling Bee website. The Merriam-Webster website defines nougat as a “confection of nuts or fruit pieces in a sugar paste.”
The first round of the national contest was a written spelling test. During round two, Noel correctly spelled “grivoiserie,” which Merriam-Webster says means “bold licentious behavior.”
Noel’s misstep came in the third round with the word “insurrection.” According to Merriam-Webster, insurrection is defined as “an act of instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government.”
About 50 of 516 spellers will move on to Thursday’s finals, according to the Associated Press.
We hope to see Noel on stage again next year.
