Saharsh Vuppala, 13, of Bellevue, spells his words in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — On June 2, a 13-year-old from Bellevue placed fourth in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee — the best Washington speller in more than 30 years. Good performance, the first game of the competition is over. “spell.”
Saharsh Vuppala, an eighth-grader at Annie Wright Middle School in Tacoma, correctly spelled “Clitocybe” (a genus of mushrooms) in the first round of the finals, entering a multiple-choice stage that asks spellers to identify the meaning of words. That round of vocabulary contests eliminated half of the eight contestants still standing, part of a growing emphasis on spelling and defining words.
Harini Logan, 14, of San Antonio, Texas, holds the trophy surrounded by his family. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
14-year-old Harini Logan of San Antonio became champion by spelling 21 words correctly, beating Vikram Raju in the marathon, the first-of-its-kind spelling bee, a format that tests how many words a contestant can spell correctly in 90 seconds. The unexpected struggle of the top two contestants began when Raju misspelled “Senijextee,” one of several alternate spellings for Sinixt, an indigenous people from modern-day Washington and British Columbia, a coalition of Colville One of the tribe’s 12 bands. Spellers rely on the origin of a word to discern its spelling, but bee speakers told Raju that Merriam-Webster’s dictionary does not list the origin of Senijextee from the Salish dialect.
Vuppala tied for No. 51 as a fifth grader at the 2019 Bee, since Seattle’s Amy Marie Dimak in 1990 by spelling “fibranne” (a fabric made of rayon) ) has ranked higher than any Washingtonian since his win.
According to Bee organizers, no speller from Washington has made it to the finals since at least 2016.
The winner of the bee will receive $50,000. The runner-up will receive $25,000, while Vuppala will receive $10,000 for fourth place.
Vikram Raju, 12, of Aurora, Colorado, spells his words during the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals on Thursday, June 2, 2022 in Oxon Hill, Maryland (U.S. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Thirteen finalists started the night, but won the competition by beating some of the most popular in the 2021 added vocabulary rounds (used to test increasingly complex spellers).
Scott Remer, who has mentored 3 of the 13 finalists, including Vuppala, said the new emphasis on word meaning makes it more difficult to provide contestants with a balanced set of questions, and to provide contextual insights over time. Older spellers with exposure to more words offer an advantage.
“It’s kind of like a spelling and vocabulary bee now; it’s not really a spelling bee,” said Remer, a 2008 Bee finalist and author of several books on the competition since. “I just think it hurts the game.”
Vihaan Sibal, 13, of McGregor, Texas, spells his words during the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals, Thursday, June 2, 2022, in Oxon Hill, Maryland (AP Photo /Jose Luis Magana)
Vuppala’s twin sister Deetya was also eliminated in the semifinals without misspelling a word. In an audio clip played during the show, Vuppala said it would be hard to go to the finals without her and him.
14-year-old Harini Logan holds the Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy as his father, Logan Anjaneyulu, looks on Thursday, June 2, 2022, in Oxon Hill, Maryland (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“It feels really good to be in the Bee finals, but I’m also saddened that my sister isn’t here,” he told a spokesman for comment. “I’m representing Washington, and I’m representing myself and my sister.”
Their mother Mayura Vuchuru said Saharsh and Deetya supported and challenged each other to become two of the best spellers in the country.
“It was difficult for Deetya because she worked hard and she was equally capable,” Vuchuru said. “Sometimes it’s just luck too, as far as you get it.”
Past champions have won with simpler words, including “cure” in 1940, “croissant” in 1970 and “sled” in 1984.
But Reimer says spelling is more than just rote memorization.
“It encourages a love of language,” he said. “It encourages an appreciation of different cultures and nuances and complexities.”
