"Greek and Greek," whispered Jim Levri.

He knew that his son did not know the word "pyrophyte," but he turned to his daughter Elizabeth and said, "Joe might be able to piece this one together."

Joe Levri, 14, of Sarver, did indeed recognize the Greek roots of pyrophyte. He spelled the word correctly yesterday to win the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Spelling Bee in the 18th round.

Levri had already missed two words but remained eligible because his last opponent, Robyn Weyandt, of Windber, Somerset County, also had missed her last words.

This year's event was particularly competitive. Four contestants were still standing after 10 rounds and two hours of competition.

So the judges departed from the standard list of about 5,000 words and went to a supplemental list, to separate the great memorizers from the great spellers.

"Going to the additional words, that's a pretty big deal," Levri said, "but I felt pretty confident."

"This was definitely one of the better spelling bees of the past few years," said Marissa Toma, a three-time champion and one of yesterday's judges.

She had a hunch Levri would win. He had tied for second place last year and his sister, Mary, had placed third against Toma several years ago. They're a good spelling family, she said.

Plus, Levri had shown confidence during the semifinals held earlier in the day at Wesley Posvar Hall at the University of Pittsburgh. The 30 best spellers from 105 contestants qualified for the finals at the Frick Fine Arts Building in Oakland.

Proud father Jim Levri said his son is a natural speller. He also credited eighth-grade teacher Dana Orlowski for organizing a good bee at Mary Queen of Apostles school in New Kensington, where Joe is a student.

Joe Levri credited his dad. For several months, Levri studied at least an hour a day after school and up to four hours a day on weekends.

"My Dad is a big spelling fan," he said. He has high expectations."

Although Levri did not study much outside of the standard word list, his father coached him on English, Greek and Latin roots.

That's what made the difference.

By the 15th round, the contest was between Levri and Weyandt. He misspelled "hyperpyrexia." She faltered on "philippics."

In the 16th, he missed "nosocomial," she failed on "opotherapy."

Levri admits that missing two words was unnerving.

Jim Levri also was rattled.

"I missed them, too," he said. "If I can't spell them, how I can I expect him to spell them?"

In the 17th, Levri correctly spelled "decuman" and Weyandt missed "noctivagation."

Levri had to correctly spell the next word to win.

"Pyrophyte," enunciated host Rick Sebak, "a woody plant with unusual resistance to fire because of exceptionally thick bark."

Levri asked the origin of the word.

"Greek and Greek," Sebak answered.

One hand in a pocket, Joe Levri casually spelled out the word; Judge Dave Toma pronounced him the champion; and Levri earned a trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Spelling Bee.

"I'm so excited for Joe," his mother, Margaret, said. "He put so much effort into it. And I'm so excited for my husband. He enjoys the process so much."