NEW BERLIN — A New Berlin 8th grader is heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee for a second year in a row. Ethan Robert, 13, competed in the spelling bee in 2025 and is one of two Wisconsin students competing in this year's national competition.
Ethan Robert has a talent for spelling — and he is heading to the national stage again to prove it. It will be his second time competing at the national level. In 2025, he placed 10th in the country.
Watch: How Ethan Robert, a New Berlin 8th grader, is preparing for his second consecutive trip to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"I was still overall proud," Ethan said.
I met up with Ethan and his family as they got in a few more practice sessions before leaving for the competition.
"Eclaircissement — it is a really fun word to spell," Ethan said.
He spelled it out: E-c-l-a-i-r-c-i-s-s-e-m-e-n-t.
Ethan doesn't just excel at spelling. He is also taking college-level classes at Eisenhower Middle School. His parents say they knew early on that he was gifted — he started reading at 3 years old.
"I thought is he just looking at images and thinking, but he ended up reading early," his mother, Sophia Anthoni, said.
Ethan studies for the spelling bee every night, usually for a couple of hours. He says the key is not trying to memorize every word, but learning the rules of spelling and applying them — a strategy he credits for his deep run at last year's national competition.
"I just try to spell it as it sounds. Try not to overcomplicate it," Ethan said. "Once you calm down and think through it you can spell it correctly.”
The Spelling Bee kicks off on May 26. You can watch the live rounds May 27 and May 28 on ION.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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