OXON HILL, Md. - All five Minnesota contestants in the Scripps National Spelling Bee advanced to round three Wednesday.
Jacob Lahti from Minneapolis spelled 'picaresque' correctly. Emma Greenlee from Fergus Falls spelled 'asthmogenic' correctly. Nicholas Thompson from North Mankato spelled 'tokamak' correctly. Christine Farnberg from Rochester spelled 'raconteur' correctly. Adam Kleist from Staples spelled 'mayonnaise' correctly.
Spellers arrived Tuesday morning and took a 45-minute computer test that probed their knowledge of both spelling and vocabulary. The results from that test will be combined with Wednesday's on-stage round to determine which spellers will advance to Thursday's semifinals.
Spelling bee organizers say the vocabulary test reinforces the bee's mission to encourage students to improve their spelling and broaden their knowledge of the English language.
2013 marks the 86th year of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
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