2 Chicago area girls eliminated from semifinals of Scripps National Spelling Bee
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A local student earned some bragging rights after her robust vocabulary led to a stunning twist in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Annette Chu, 13, appeared to have been eliminated in round six, but then the judges came back with the announcement that they discovered a variant spelling for the word she was given.
She spelled out "dustoori" when the judges had given her the word "dasturi," but judges later discovered the two words are pronounced identically, so decided to reinstate Annette for round seven.
The 7th grader at GEMS World Academy in downtown Chicago ultimately was bounced for real in the 8th round on the word "probouleutic."
Also, Daphne Gil, 14, an eighth grader from Alan B. Shepard Middle School in Vernon Hills made it to the semifinals, correctly spelling "silentiary" to move on from the quarterfinals. "Silentiary" means "an advocate of silence, especially as a religious observance."
Daphne didn't make it to the finals, after incorrectly spelling the word "conversazione."