Youngest Speller in Scripps History Out of Bee

6-year-old misspelled one of her two words Wednesday

She may not be advancing to Thursday’s semifinals, but Lori Anne Madison has already made spelling history this week.

The 6-year-old from Woodbridge, Va., became the youngest contestant in Scripps National Spelling Bee history.

Lori Anne misspelled one of her two words during the preliminary rounds – “ingluvies,” which she started with an “e” - and her score on Tuesday's computer test wasn't enough to make up the difference.

Earlier she spelled “dirigible” with apparent ease after asking for the definition and hearing it used in a sentence. On the way back to her seat, she shared high-fives with several spellers.

Fifty spellers from the field of 278 advanced to the semifinals.

This year's winner gets $30,000 in cash, a trophy, a $2,500 savings bond, a $5,000 scholarship, $2,600 in reference works from the Encyclopedia Britannica and an online language course.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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