Jacques Bailly, the head pronouncer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, plays a vital role in guiding the Bee’s champions to success. In 2024, Bruhat Soma emerged as the champion after a thrilling tiebreaker between the top two spellers.
According to Bailly, becoming a champion requires “hard work.” The twelve-year-old Bruhat clinched the title on Thursday night by correctly spelling 29 words in 90 seconds during a spell-off.
With a history of champions spanning nearly a century, Bailly, a former Scripps National Spelling Bee champion himself, holds a Ph.D. in ancient philosophy from Cornell University.
Scripps Spelling Bee
Florida 7th grader wins 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee after ‘spell-off’
8:20 PM, May 30, 2024
Bailly, a familiar face to Bee fans, expresses his joy in celebrating all contestants and witnessing the growth of the competition, which now sees around 11 million entries at the school level.
Describing it as akin to the Olympics with records constantly being broken, Bailly emphasizes the importance of reading and learning. He praises the Bee’s mission of nurturing children’s imagination.
The judges provide strong support to the competing kids. Bruhat, the 2024 champion, reveals that he prepared diligently for a potential spell-off scenario.
Highlighting the significance of reading and paying attention to everyday words, Bailly encourages aspiring spellers to expand their vocabulary by exploring various sources, including nonfiction books and menus at restaurants.
