An eighth-grader from Silver Lake is among nine spellers set to compete in Thursday’s finals of the National Spelling Bee in Washington, seeking to be the first champion from Los Angeles County.
Oliver Halkett tied for seventh in last year’s bee. Two other past finalists are also among this year’s finalists. Shrey Parikh from Rancho Cucamonga tied for third in 2024 as 12-year-old sixth grader. Sarv Dharavane, who lives in the Atlanta area, finished third last year as an 11-year-old fifth grader.
Oliver advanced to the finals by correctly spelling two words and answering a vocabulary question in Wednesday’s semifinals at Constitution Hall.
The student at the Mirman School in Brentwood began the semifinals by correctly spelling Nectria, a genus of ascomycetous fungi that have bright-colored superficial perithecia, according to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.
Oliver then correctly answered the eighth-round multiple-choice vocabulary question, “Patina refers to,” selecting “a surface made beautiful by age or use.”
A vocabulary question is asked in the second round in each of the bee’s four segments.
In what would be his final word of the semifinals, Oliver correctly spelled gallinae, a group of wild birds that is lawful for hunting, to advance to the finals.
Oliver began Wednesday’s quarterfinals by correctly spelling lalopathy, a disorder of speech. He then correctly answered the vocabulary question, “Something described as precarious is characterized by” selecting, lack of security or stability.
Oliver was among 54 spellers advancing to the semifinals with a correct spelling in the sixth round. His word was pseudepigraphy, the ascription of false names of authors to works. The round began with 66 spellers.
Oliver began the bee Tuesday by correctly spelling astilbe. Astilbe is a noun meaning any of a genus of chiefly Asian perennials of the saxifrage family that have simple or usually compound leaves and are widely cultivated for their panicles of usually white, pink, or red flowers.
Oliver then provided the correct response to the second-round vocabulary question, “What is the main ingredient in ganache?” selecting chocolate. He then joined the 166 other spellers who advanced to the third round in taking a 30-question spelling and vocabulary test, with each correct answer worth one point.
Under bee rules, spellers are grouped by their number of correct answers. The number of spellers to advance are determined by identifying the group whose minimum score results in as close to 100 quarterfinalists as possible.
Spellers with a least 13 points were assured of advancing to the quarterfinals, officials announced. The test reduced the field to 95. Individual scores were not disclosed.
Oliver qualified for the bee by winning the Los Angeles County Regional Spelling Bee for the third consecutive year.
Oliver loves language and has competed in spelling bees since he was in second grade, according to information provided by bee officials. He plays piano, participates in a book club with his friends and enjoys evening walks with his parents and watching soccer Sunday mornings with his guinea pigs Scuttles, Pig and Truffle.
Oliver also likes watching movies, particularly historical movies such as “Dunkirk,” “Oppenheimer” and “A Beautiful Mind.” His favorite writer is the humorist David Sedaris, favorite historical figure is the 17th century French philosopher René Descartes, favorite book is “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee and favorite word is bhutatathata, a plural noun for the essence of suchness in Buddhism.
Oliver’s dream job is secretary of state because he loves learning, government and being part of positive change.
There were two other spellers from Los Angeles County in the original field of 247.
Olive O’Brien, a 14-year-old eighth grader at WISH Community School, reached the ninth round and was among 15 spellers tying for 10th
Elyssa Chen, an 11-year-old fifth grader at Center Street Elementary School in El Segundo, was among 72 spellers who reached the third round, but failed to score high enough on the written test to advance to the semifinals.
The bee is limited to students who had not passed beyond the eighth grade or an international equivalent on or before Aug. 31, 2025 and who were born on Sept. 1, 2010 or later.