By Carol McKinley | The Denver Gazette
Jaques Bailly is a spell-ebrity.
The former Denver Catholic school prodigy has been the face of the Scripps National Spelling Bee as a most patient pronouncer for 20 years — so beloved, young competitors recognize him with a “Howdy Dr. Bailly!” when they first step up to the microphone.
During Wednesday’s fifth round, Bailly repeated the word “lenticillate” three times for Nyarah Garver, a nervous 7th-grader from Wyndham, New York. She wrongly sounded out “L-E-N-T-I-C-E-L-L-E-T,” and exited the National Scripps Spelling Bee stage with a limp high-five for the next competitor.
“It was that final ‘e,’” said pronouncer Bailly, who is in many ways the face of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and appears to feel every kid’s disappointment.