Colorado kid places 5th in National Spelling Bee

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Out of 245 kids, a Colorado eighth grader placed fifth and completed 13 rounds on the spelling bee’s biggest stage.

Aditi Muthukumar from Westminster made it to the final round of the National Spelling Bee.

She was given the word “Lillooet,” which is defined as the Salishan people of the Fraser River valley in British Columbia. Unfortunately, Muthukumar was disqualified when she spelled the word “lillowet.”

This is the second time the 13-year-old from Hulstrom K-8 School has competed. In 2023, Muthukumar tied for 74th place.

While Muthukumar didn’t walk away with the Scripps Cup, finishing in fifth place is no easy feat. According to the bee, Muthukumar didn’t walk away empty-handed. For making it into the finals, she won $5,000 for fifth place and was given a commemorative medal.

Muthukumar is very involved in her school and her community. She was selected for the 2024 National Junior Honor Society Outstanding Achievement Award, enjoys doing community service and volunteering and is the president of her school’s student council.

Colorado was represented by another young speller, Cooper Edwards. The fifth grader from Niwot Elementary made it to the third round before misspelling “butyraceous” as “buteraceous.”

The last time a Colorado local won the spelling bee was in 2002.

Ultimately, a 12-year-old from Tampa, Florida walked away the champion and $50,000 richer.

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