Shadowing Practice: Meet the 2026 National Spelling Bee Champion! | May 29, 2026 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Music We're at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington,
155 sentences
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Music We're at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington,
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D.C., where kids politely destroy each other with vocab.
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They don't get here with talent.
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They get here with hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.
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And if they're fortunate enough, they become the champion.
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Ray, you are the two-challenge guys.
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What was going through your mind when you were lifting that trophy above your head?
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You know, I was just so relieved and excited, to be honest.
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It was just such an amazing moment for me.
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I was just so happy.
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How did you celebrate?
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Not sleep tonight.
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Yes, let's go!
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And here is our youngster.
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They spelled their way through some of the toughest words in the English language,
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with focus, confidence and composure far beyond their years.
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It all started with 247 competitors on Tuesday.
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The youngest, just nine years old.
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The age limit to compete, 15.
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Spellers representing all 50 states plus 13 international competitors,
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all chasing the same dream.
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Hi.
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But by Thursday night, the field had been whittled down to just nine finalists.
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Smart? Of course.
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These kids can spell words that most adults think are prescription medications.
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Numinum ultramicroscopic symphal mechanoconiosis.
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Can you spell that?
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P-N-U-M-O-N-O-U-L-T-R-A-M-I-C-R-O-S-E-O-P-I-C-S-I-L-I-C-O-B-O-L-C-A-N-L-C-O-N-I-O-S-I-S.
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That's right.
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Amarevale.
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A-M-A-R-E-V-O-L-E.
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Amarevale.
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That is correct.
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Thank you.
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After spending some time with contestants during the semifinals,
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one thing became crystal clear.
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This is not some magical gift.
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Every speller I spoke with pointed to the same formula.
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Hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
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It's not natural talent that can get you somewhere like scripts.
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It's more about the hard work you put in because at the end of the day,
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talent can only take you so far,
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but to get to such a big stage,
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you also need to put in lots of work.
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You have to prepare so much and put in hours and hours on end per day.
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And you have to make a lot of sacrifices,
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but it's all worth it in the end because your hard work will pay off.
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Some study up to 10 hours a day on weekends.
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And honestly, preparing for this feels a lot like training for a championship in sports.
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Film study becomes dictionary study.
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Muscle memory becomes word roots and language patterns.
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But this is the only competition in sports where one misplaced vow can end your season.
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I'm sorry, urodymium is U-R-E-D-I-N-I-U-M.
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Love your enthusiasm.
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We're gonna hope to see you back.
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Thank you.
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Congratulations.
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For three days, these kids politely dismantled one another with vocabulary,
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all chasing the $50,000 grand prize.
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But what stood out most?
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The motivation was about far more than cash.
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It's a really great place to be,
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especially since like a lot of people,
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I'm surrounded by a lot of people who enjoy the same things that I do.
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Mostly I just wanted to get to finals and I also wanted to be on live TV.
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Yeah, let's go!
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Now, even the contestants eliminated in the earlier rounds,
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heartbroken their journey was over,
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many stayed to watch the finals anyway.
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Not bitter, not jealous, cheering for the very competitors who had just outspelled them them
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because they understood just how hard everyone worked to get here.
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It's really fun.
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It's just been such a fun experience and I've met
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so many great people like I still have another kid from
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Minnesota who's like I'm really close with in the beach so I'll be sitting around I'll be cheering for him.
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I prepared so much and so did they
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so we might as well like cheer them on for still
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going for many of these spellers they can finally catch their
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breath for now at least 78 contestants in this year's field had already competed at the National level before
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and for those who fell short their comeback story may already be underway.
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Well, I'm gonna start practicing now so that I'll have a whole year.
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Long after the final bell rings in the confetti falls,
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what lingers most isn't the winning word.
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It's the perseverance, the humility,
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and a room full of kids proving that excellence and kindness can still exist side by side.
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Pop quiz, hotshot!
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Which is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia?
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Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, or Philippines?
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If you said Laos, I me congratulate you.
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Despite being the only country in the region to be completely surrounded by land,
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the Mekong River during its monsoon season can grow to be about 9 miles wide,
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creating an archipelago known as the 4,000 Islands.
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There's a new plan now in place for how to rescue the men who have been trapped for a week
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and have been found alive deep in a cave in Southeast Asia.
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Video shows rescue divers reaching the group in Laos for a second time,
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bringing them supplies like headlamps and food.
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And the villagers then sent back messages to their families that they're okay.
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The journey to get to them is super tough and super dangerous in and of itself.
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Teams are using cables to pull themselves through the narrow tunnels,
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some of them less than two feet wide.
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And the men, they're about 850 feet deep into the cave.
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Now part of the plan is to pump water out of the cave and if successful,
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they're hoping the men can finally exit without needing to dive themselves.
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Crews are still searching for two more of their group who are missing.
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As an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to grow, the U.S government is saying
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that it's focused on keeping the disease out of the U.S.
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The administration is making plans to send Americans who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus
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but do not have symptoms to health facilities in Kenya.
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Officials say the state-of-the-art facility is designed for Americans who would need to quickly get out of the DRC
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and quarantine without the risks of a lengthy transport back to the U.S.
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The U.S has its own specialized network of hospitals
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that are highly equipped to treat Ebola patients that some experts say would be much better suited to handle the situation.
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Critics warn the plan could be unethical and illegal.
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Today's story getting a 10 out of 10,
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a nearly 30-year-long friendship that spans continents founded on one common belief.
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In 1999, world history teacher Ronald Sokulski saw a news story about a woman
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and her husband planting trees in the Chinese Maowusu Desert in an effort to fight its desertification,
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which severely threatens in areas agriculture.
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At the time, the couple was making $250 a year,
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but putting it all towards planting trees.
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I was crying as I watched the news.
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I saw her on the TV and I said,
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I want to help her.
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Moved by their dedication to save their home,
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Ronald worked with an organization in the U.S and donated $5,000,
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equivalent to 20 years of income,
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to the Chinese couple's tremendous work.
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And since the initial donation,
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the forest has grown to over 50,000 trees.
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Ronald says that if two regular people from America and China can create something beautiful,
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the whole world can work together.
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All right, sunshine, we have a couple shout outs today.
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And they're coming to you from some of our erudite orthographers here at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
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Shout out to John L.
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Golden Elementary and Day Creek Intermediate School.
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Shout out to Discovery Middle School in Alexandria, Minnesota.
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I want to give a shout out to Carnage Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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I want to shout out my two schools for Peachtree Middle and Austin Elementary.
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I want to give a shout out to Laureen Rogers Middle School in Prosper, Texas.
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PS 32.
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Let's go.
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In Queens, New York.
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Yeah, let's go.
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Rise up baby.
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Rise up.
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Rise up.
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Play that Fri-yay music, Nadir.
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Go out, make someone smile this weekend weekend.
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You never know how or when,
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but you may be the light someone needs.
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You are more powerful than you know.
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Rise up.
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I'm COI and we are CNN 10.
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Thank you.
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you
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Context & Background
The Scripps National Spelling Bee, a prestigious competition held annually in Washington, D.C., showcases the incredible talents of young spellers from across the United States and beyond. In this video, the 2026 champion reflects on the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices made to achieve this honor. The competition, which initially featured 247 participants, culminated in a nail-biting finale with only nine finalists remaining. The dialogue highlights not just the spelling prowess of these youngsters but also their remarkable focus and discipline, emphasizing that success is rooted in preparation rather than mere talent.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I was just so relieved and excited." - Use this phrase to express your feelings after achieving something.
- "It was an amazing moment for me." - A great way to describe a significant experience in your life.
- "You have to prepare so much." - A reminder of the importance of preparation in any endeavor.
- "It all started with..." - Use this phrase to describe the beginning of any project or journey.
- "It's worth it in the end." - A positive affirmation about the rewards of hard work and sacrifice.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively improve your English speaking practice using this video, follow this structured shadowing guide:
- Watch the Video: Begin by watching the video without subtitles. Focus on the pronunciations and intonations of the speakers.
- Initial Listening: Listen to the key phrases, particularly the champion's reflections on hard work and preparation. Pay attention to their emotional delivery.
- Repetition: Pause the video after key phrases and repeat them aloud. Use shadowspeak techniques to mimic the rhythm and pronunciation of the speakers.
- Break it Down: Take shorter segments (5-10 seconds) to practice shadow speech. This will help you internalize the shapes and sounds of the words.
- Record Yourself: Record your own voice while practicing. Compare it to the original video to identify areas for improvement.
- Reflect and Review: After practicing, reflect on which phrases were challenging. Consider why they were difficult and how the context influenced their delivery.
By utilizing this approach, you will not only polish your pronunciation but also gain confidence in your ability to communicate effectively in English. Engaging with authentic material like this on learn English with YouTube can significantly enhance your learning experience.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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