Ask Tyler Berndt to spell a word and his mind goes to word origins, definitions, and tenses.
“If I hear something that might sound like a root from that language and I hear then the language, then I’ll be like, 'Oh, this is this root from this language,' and I’ll know this is how I’ll spell it,” said Tyler.
It’s this skill that has landed Tyler a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
He recently finished the eighth grade at All Saints School in Jupiter and is preparing for the competition.
“I’ve been going over spelling rules and spelling words and vocabulary,” said Berndt.
Tyler’s mom said spelling came naturally for her son.
“When Tyler was three-years-old, he just loved to read,” said Jinjoo Berndt, Tyler’s mom.
“He wanted to read everything and couldn’t put books down. Books were his passion.”
This isn’t Tyler’s first time in the competition.
WPTV first told you about Tyler before he went to the bee two years ago.
“He’s studying more than he did two years ago. I think he wants to perform well, he wants to do well,” said Jinjoo Berndt.
Tyler didn’t make it past the written portion of the national spelling bee in 2014.
But this time, he said he has a new strategy.
“I’m practicing every day, as much as I can,” said Tyler.
Check back to wptv.com for updates on Tyler’s progress.