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Incorrect. Correct. Incorrect

The top two finalists for the state spelling bee heard those words more times than they probably wanted.

The last several rounds of the bee were a roller coaster of emotions, with the last two finalists, Katie Gisi and Matthew McIntyre, drilling the pronouncers for definitions, origins, other pronunciations.

An incorrectly spelled word didn't necessarily mean the end of the bee for one player, as long as the other player didn't spell the next two words in a row correctly.

But after nearly 30 minutes of back and forth, of hand-wringing suspense and exasperated sighs, Matthew took the state spelling championship with the word recriminatory.

Definition: countering one charge with another.

Katie stepped aside, half-relieved but saying she hoped she could come back next year. At 11 years old and in the sixth grade, the young speller from New Rockford-Sheyenne elementary said she's just happy she got as far as she did.

"She just reads and reads," said mother Janine Gisi, describing her daughter's study habits.

And Matthew, a 14-year-old from Jamestown Middle School, was obviously relieved, later saying he hadn't expected to get as far as he did.

"It was getting pretty annoying, getting them all wrong," he said, referring to the last few rounds. Indeed, both him and Katie had exchanged misspelled words until Matthew scored with correctly spelling odoriferous, then recriminatory.

The year before, Matthew took ninth place.

Now, he's off to an all-expenses paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., on May 27-June 1. He said his father, who grilled him with quizzes each night, will probably load him down with a dictionary.

Mike McIntyre, his dad, said he plans on tapping into the experience and knowledge of the "Due girls," three sisters from Grand Forks who each won previous state spelling bees and all attended nationals. Both Melanie Due and Hannah Due were in attendance, ready to pass on their knowledge to the next generation of North Dakota spellers.

"I think anyone who really studies has potential," said Melanie Due.

Each county was allowed to have a maximum of two students participate in the spelling bee. The bee consisted of two rounds, written and oral, with those passing the written round moving into the oral.

Twenty-seven students passed the written test, which contained words like "subterfuge," "semolina," and "megalopolis." Of the 27, three had scored 100 percent on the written, said Rick Heidt, coordinator with the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders. Heidt said the perfect scores did not belong to the top two finishers.

The other finalists of the state spelling bee were:

- Third place: Miles Way, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Memorial Middle School, Minot;

- Fourth Place: Tyler Beauchamp, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Wachter MIddle School, Bismarck.

(Reach reporter Crystal Reid at 250-8261 or at crystal.reid@bismarcktribune.com)