Arizona sixth-grader ties for 9th place in Scripps National Spelling Bee

PHOENIX — An Arizona sixth-grader on Thursday tied for 9th place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Aliyah Alpert, who is homeschooled in Prescott, misspelled the word “ajivika” in the opening round of the finals.

However, being the youngest of the finalists at age 11, she still has two years of eligibility to return to the competition.

The youngest Finalist #Speller87 Aliyah Alpert may be out, but that just means she has two more years to come back to the Bee and show off her spelling prowess — and Bee fashion while she’s at it. #spellingbee pic.twitter.com/OyHjGvAwBu

— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) June 3, 2022

Alpert in the semifinals on Wednesday spelled “ostmark” and “trevally” correctly and successfully completed the multiple-choice prompt for the meaning of the word “verklempt” to join 11 other spellers from across the country and world in the finals.

For her efforts, Alpert will be awarded $2,000 and a commemorative medal from the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The annual competition in Washington, D.C. started Tuesday with 234 participants.

Alpert advanced to the big stage after outlasting 26 other students in the March 19 competition in Phoenix, winning in the 29th round after spelling the word “foudroyant” correctly.

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