Seventh-grader Aisha Randhawa from Auburndale Intermediate School in Corona tied for seventh in the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday, 15 places above her previous best finish.
Aisha was eliminated in the 11th round when she misspelled perduellion, a noun meaning treason, omitting the second L.
Aisha began Thursday’s competition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland by correctly spelling cabaletta, the lively conclusion of an aria or duet.
Aisha then correctly spelled bushveld, veld of southern Africa with abundant shrubby and often thorny vegetation; guaraguao, any of several West Indian timber trees of the family Meliaceae; velamen, the thick corky epidermis of aerial roots of an epiphytic orchid that absorbs water from the atmosphere; and Marseilles, a firm cotton fabric that is similar to pique.
Following an approximately 5 1/2 hour break which included her and the 15 other spellers remaining in the competition taking tiebreaker multiple-choice test of 12 spelling words and 12 vocabulary questions, Aisha returned to the stage for the second portion of the finals, correctly spelling arrhostia, an evolutionary product or trend that appears to be more or less pathological, and gnomonics, the art of using or making dials, especially sundials.
Aisha received $2,000 for her seventh-place finish.
The bee was won by Karthik Nemmani, an eighth-grader from McKinney, Texas. He correctly spelled koinonia, a noun meaning the Christian fellowship or body of believers, to win the bee.
Aisha was among 41 spellers who advanced to the finals from the record field of 516 by scoring high enough on multiple-choice test with 13 spelling words and 13 vocabulary questions, and correctly spelling her second- and third-round words on stage.
The finals are limited to a maximum of 50 spellers. Spellers’ scores are plotted on a chart beginning at 36. Spellers at each consecutive scoring level are added until no more than 50 spellers have been attained.
Aisha correctly spelled autocratic in Tuesday’s second round and amateur in Wednesday’s third round. The test is considered the bee’s first round.
Aisha tied for 22nd place in the 2016 bee and tied for 35th in the 2017 bee.