NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The crowd at the Scripps National Spelling Bee Wednesday afternoon thought 6-year-old Akash Vukoti nailed his spelling of "bacteriolytic," but he received the dreaded ding indicating he misspelled the word.
Akash exited the stage to a standing ovation from those on hand at the Bee as he was greeted by his parents just off stage.
Akash spelled the word "b-a-c-t-e-r-i-a-l-y-t-i-c.." The defenition of bacteriolytic is the "destruction or dissolution of bacterial cells," according to Merriam-Webster.
Early on Wednesday, Akash successfully spelled "inviscate," much to the chagrin of the crowd.
Between Rounds 2 and 3, Akash participated in a lengthy press conference with members of the international media.
Akash was the youngest participant at the Bee this year.
Akash was featured on a number of national television shows, including Steve Harvey's "Little Big Shots," where he correctly spelled "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."
