Chandler 8th grader falls just short in effort to reach Scripps National Spelling Bee finals again

An Arizona girl who reached the finals of last year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee fell short of a repeat performance.

Esha Marupudi, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Basis Chandler, was knocked out in the semifinals of the event in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

She was one of 24 spellers to reach the ninth round, where she was tripped up by “polemonium,” a type of perennial plant.

The competition included alternating rounds covering spelling and vocabulary as well as a third-round written test.

Here are Esha’s results during her second consecutive deep run:

• Round 1: Correctly spelled “wongshy.”
• Round 2: Knew that when something is “contested” it is “made the subject of dispute.”
• Round 3: Scored at least 13 on a written test.
• Round 4: Correctly spelled “choplogical.”
• Round 5: Knew that when something is “pertinent” it is “relevant.”
• Round 6: Correctly spelled “coppice.”
• Round 7: Correctly spelled “lucanid.”
• Round 8: Knew that an “asterism” is “a star-shaped figure exhibited in some crystals by reflected light.”
• Round 9: Misspelled “polemonium” as “paulomonium.”

Esha, who finished tied for seventh overall in 2025, is one of three Arizona students who qualified for this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee. The other two Grand Canyon State contestants were eliminated within the first two rounds.

Smriti Parajuli, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Centennial Middle School in Yuma, correctly spelled “pulvillus” in the first round. But she was unable to provide the correct definition for “peruse” during the second round and finished tied for 168th place.

Koen Harvey, a 14-year-old eighth grader from Tsaile Elementary School in Window Rock, was tripped up by “burelage” in the first round. He incorrectly spelled it “bureaulage” and finished tied for 196th place.

How to watch 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee started with a field of 247 stellar spellers. It is being broadcast and streamed on channels and platforms owned by Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company.

Wednesday afternoon’s semifinals are streaming on Scripps Sports Network and spellingbee.com. The tape-delayed semifinals will also be broadcast on ION from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The finals will air Thursday on ION from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The semifinals and finals will also air or be streamed on these Scripps-owned channels or services: ION Plus, Bounce, Grit, Laff, The Spot, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More, Scripps News and Scripps Sports Network.

The winner will receive a custom trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. All finalists are guaranteed at least $2,000, with higher payouts for second through sixth place.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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