6-year-old Texan misspells word, ending his spelling bee competition

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The youngest speller in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, a YouTube star with a following even before he got here, said he wants to be an “astro-actor” and look for life on Mars when he grows up.

But 6-year-old Akash Vukoti’s time in the limelight ended Wednesday afternoon when the San Angelo, Texas, boy missed his second on-stage word — “bacteriolytic,” meaning destruction of bacteria — using an “a” rather than an “o” in the middle during the preliminary rounds. He received a standing ovation and high fives as he left the stage.

Earlier, in an upbeat interview with reporters between rounds, Akash was in turns whimsical and philosophical, saying he wanted to be an astronaut and an actor after his turn on comedian Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots.

Asked about competing against older spellers, Akash said, “I’m ready to get those 15-year-olds out of the way,” but then changed his mind.

“I’m not trying to get past the spellers; I’m trying to get past the dictionary,” he said. “The dictionary is what you compete with.”

“I don’t think I have a routine,” he said when asked about his preparation for game day. Asked if there were any words in the first on-stage round he didn’t know, he said, “none.” He began reading at age 2 and also speaks two languages of the Indian subcontinent, he said.

In his first turn on stage, the diminutive Akash had to be instructed not to dismantle the microphone but to simply pull it down to his mouth level.

"You ready?” pronouncer Jacques Bailly asked.

A clear crowd-pleaser, Akash played his part, asking for a definition, part of speech and alternative pronunciations for a word meaning to encase in a sticky substance: i-n-v-i-s-c-a-t-e.

The crowd, which respectfully clapped for most winning spellers, whooped and cheered for the first first-grader ever to compete in the national bee.

There were moments of real intensity as when judges debated whether a California speller perhaps added an unwanted 'I' to her spelling of “conestoga.” She had not. And there were instances of gentlemanly sportsmanship, such as when Michael Goss, 12, of Crowley, La., misspelled “preterition,” and exited the stage after saying: “Thank you. It’s been an honor.”

Spellers greeted Bailly with a variety of salutations – including “salutations,” from Emily Sun, 13, of Boston. Zander Worm, 12, of Ahmeek, Mich., greeted him in Polish; Kael Miranda, 11, of Columbia, Mo., in Japanese; and Tharein Potuhera, 14, of Omaha, Neb., in Irish. Several offered “Namaste,” “howdy,” or a simple “hello.” They employed a variety of techniques to extend their time in the limelight, seeking definitions, alternate pronunciations, parts of speech and asking to have a word used in a sentence. Some used placards for spelling with index fingers, others used the palms of their hands.

Some spellers sought no additional information and simply spelled “Watteau,” a wide-brimmed hat, and “extrorse,” meaning turned or facing outward. Smrithi Upadhyayula, 13, of Coppell, Texas, briefly postponed the proceedings to thank her band director and flute teacher before correctly spelling l-u-s-t-r-u-m, a period of five years.

All took part in a written test Tuesday used to winnow the field of semifinalists announced late Wednesday. The champion or champions will be crowned Thursday night in competition broadcast live on ESPN.

This year’s winner will take home $40,000, a trophy and other prizes.

251 spellers survive in Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 285 spellers who qualified for this year’s bee range in age from 6 to 14 and are almost evenly divided among boys (144) and girls (141). They hail from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the Bahamas, Canada, Europe, Ghana, Guam, Jamaica, Japan, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The youngest Spelling Bee competitor is only 6 years old

2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee

The past two bees ended with co-champions. Last year’s winners were Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam of Chesterfield, Mo. The two battled through 20 tense, error-free rounds.

This year, finalists faced more challenging words, making such a marathon less likely. Instead of using a prearranged list of 25 words, organizers will use an expanded list of words from anywhere in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.

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