Washington, Idaho students make it to second round of 100th annual National Spelling Bee
May 27, 2025, 12:14 PM
Zachary Luke Milallos Rara, 13, of Louisville, Kentucky spells his word in the preliminaries of the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on May 27, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo Courtesy of Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
(Photo Courtesy of Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
The are in from the first preliminary round of the 100th annual , and two Pacific Northwest contestants remain.
Navtaj Singh of Pullman, Washington, sponsored by the , moved on to the second round of preliminary action with a correct spelling of “.”
Andrew Ford from Sandpoint, Idaho, sponsored by the , will remain in the contest with a correct spelling of “” in the first round.
Gabriel Aguirre from Spokane Valley, also sponsored by the Idaho Character Foundation, has been eliminated from the first round by a misspelling of “,” with his attempt being: “apiapi.”
Looking at the 3 PNW contestants
Aguirre, an 11-year-old from Spokane Valley, finished as the runner-up in the Inland Northwest Spelling Bee, losing to 14-year-old Ford. Both participants were home-schooled.
In the 12th round of the qualifying contest held at North Idaho College, Ford won first place. Ford won the competition with his correct spelling of “,” and Aguirre lost for his incorrect spelling of the word “” in the final round, according to
Singh, 14, is competing for the fourth consecutive year and aiming to surpass his personal best, having finished 12th in 2023.
Upcoming Scripps National Spelling Bee schedule
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The for the second preliminary round is out now.
Ford will receive the word “” in his second round, and Singh will receive “.”
The quarterfinals are set to take place on May 28 from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. ET, and the semifinals will begin later that day from 8 to 10 p.m. ET.
The finals will begin on Thursday, May 29, from 8 to 10 p.m. ET.
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