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Students will compete in the first round of public spelling in the Scripps national spelling bee Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the spellers took the traditional 24-word written spelling test with a new twist – a vocabulary section to see if the competitors could define the words, too.

Thirteen students from Indiana are competing – seven are from central Indiana, including Cy Orentlicher, 12, of Indianapolis. He is in sixth grade.

“When you’re on stage there, you’re nervous that you’re going to get a word that you don’t know to spell so you’ll get, and when you’ve gotten your word you’re kind of nervous that you’ll get it wrong – ya I’m really excited to be here with a bunch of other people, meeting them, making friends,” he said.

Fifty children will advance through the three preliminary rounds to go on to the semifinals.

ESPN says it will carry the spelling bee on its channels

according to wishtv.com