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2d ago

Preliminaries Reduce Field at 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee

Day one saw the completion of spelling and vocabulary rounds that eliminated dozens of contenders ahead of Wednesday’s written test for quarterfinal spots.

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Lauren A. Merillana, 13, of Bethesda, Md., spells her word as she competes during the first preliminary round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Duaa Siyah Ouznali, 13, of San Diego, reacts after correctly spelling her word as she competes during the first preliminary round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Contestants in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee from Orange and Los Angeles counties are Sydney Tran, 13, from El Rancho Charter School in Anaheim; Kamya Balaji, 12, from Notre Dame Academy in Rancho Park; and Oliver Halkett, 13, from gthe Mirman School in Brentwood. (Courtesy photos)

Overview

  • On Tuesday, 243 young spellers competed in oral spelling and multiple-choice vocabulary rounds at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
  • Maryland’s Amelia “Bindi” Ray and Charles County’s Aruuke Rayeva were among those knocked out after errors on “abstemious” and “cavalletti.”
  • Advancing participants will tackle a 40-question written exam Wednesday to claim one of roughly 100 quarterfinal places.
  • Organizers are streaming the preliminaries and quarterfinals on spellingbee.com and BounceXL, with semifinals and finals airing on ION this week.
  • Celebrating its centennial anniversary, the bee concludes Thursday with a $50,000 top prize and reference work awards for the champion.