The Scripps National Spelling Bee was full of Ohio contenders

You might not be able to spell "sagacious," but 17 Ohio kids definitely can.

Zoom in: That's s-a-g-a-c-i-o-u-s, an adjective derived from Latin, defined as "having or showing understanding and the ability to make good judgments."

Driving the news: Can we use it in a sentence? Sure: Over a dozen sagacious Buckeyes competed in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee.

• Ohio tied with California for the second-most participants from any state.

The latest: Six of the 17 made it to the quarter-finals and just one, Avinav Prem Anand, advanced to the semi-final round.

• Anand, a seventh-grader from Olentangy Orange Middle School, finished 23rd this year after coming in 32nd in 2022 and 74th in 2023.
• He lost this year on the word g-e-n-e-r, a noun from the Latin meaning son-in-law.
• His competitor bio says he's an avid martial artist, violinist, cyclist, hiker and bird-watcher who "loves visiting his local library on Saturdays."

Other competitors included Strongsville's Advait Nishit, Canton's Logan Cox, Elyria's Cayley Anne Anderson.