OXON HILL, Md. — Colorado's lone remaining representative in the Scripps National Spelling Bee has advanced to the final round.
Westminster eighth-grader Aditi Muthukumar correctly spelled "myrmecoxene" Wednesday to become one of eight contestants to reach the last phase of the competition.
The video above aired on May 10.
Merriam-Webster defines "myrmecoxene" as "an insect (such as any of various beetles) living as a guest in the nest of a social insect (such as an ant or termite) by which it is fed and guarded for its secretions which are used as food."
The morning began with 148 spellers. By the end of the first quarterfinal round, there were 59 left, and 46 of those got through a vocabulary round to reach the semifinals. By the end of the day, eight finalists remained. They will return Thursday night, when the winner will receive a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.
Aditi was one of two Coloradans to compete in the spelling bee this year. Colorado's other qualifier, Boulder fifth-grader Cooper Edwards, got to the third round after correctly spelling "echelon" and giving the correct answer when asked what it means if something is "parochial."
He was knocked out Tuesday after misspelling "butyraceous" that means "of, or like butter."
The Scripps National Spelling Bee finals air live on ION at 6 p.m. Thursday. The winner receives a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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