Six-year-old girl misspells "ingluvies" at National Spelling Bee

(CNN) -- Lori Anne Madison, 6, the youngest person to compete in the National Spelling Bee, started strong by spelling her first word, "dirigible," correctly. But in round three on Wednesday, she's incorrectly spelled the word "ingluvies" as "engluvies." She did not qualify for the semifinals.

The second-grader joined 277 other contestants, marking a milestone in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, according to the event's record books dating to 1993.

Since 1993, there have been four spellers who were eight years old, said Mike Hickerson, the bee's communications manager.

Lori Anne defeated 21 children in the regional bee in Prince William County in Virginia, earning a spot in the national bee.

She won by spelling the word "vaquero," the Spanish translation of "cowboy" often used in parts of the South.

While she loves spelling, Lori Anne has other interests as well.

She likes to study while swinging upside down or jumping on her trampoline, according to her bio on the event's website. She's also a competitive swimmer, has won math and science awards, and takes karate, dance and tennis classes.

This year's bee concludes Thursday night, May 31st.

A total of 278 young spellers were competing for a series of prizes, including a $30,000 cash prize, an engraved trophy, a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and a $5,000 scholarship.

Spellers range between ages 6 and 15, and come from all 50 states and U.S. territories. They also include competitors from other nations, including China, Canada, Ghana and Japan.

The National Spelling Bee started in 1925 under a collaboration among nine newspapers. In 1941, Scripps assumed sponsorship of the event. It was not held during the war years of 1943-45.

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