WASHINGTON, D.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Charlotte 14-year-old Aishwarya Kallakuri reached the final four in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
After nailing “corylaceous” with six spellers remaining Thursday night, she slipped the next round on “Keighly,” which is a town in northern England — pronounced “keeth-lee.”
Aishwarya attends Valor Preparatory Academy in Concord. She reached the finals in DC after winning a regional spelling bee hosted by the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
Faizan Zaki came out on top in the 20th round to win the competition. He won the title by spelling “Chaldee” correctly.