5-Year-Old Girl Youngest Contestant Ever At National Spelling Bee
TULSA, Okla. (CBS/AP) — A 5-year-old girl is bound for the Scripps National Spelling Bee after becoming the youngest winner of a regional competition in Oklahoma.
Edith Fuller won the Tulsa-area contest by correctly spelling jnana. Merriam-Webster defines the word as meaning knowledge acquired through meditation in the Hindu tradition.
Scripps confirmed to The Washington Post that Edith is the youngest person to qualify for the National Spelling Bee.
The Tulsa World reports Edith beat out more than 50 other elementary and middle school students Saturday. Edith is home-schooled and represented the TBC Home Education Fellowship in the bee.
"I feel thankful," Edith told the the Tulsa World.
Edith's mother Annie Fuller tells the newspaper she's glad her daughter held her own.
"It's fun to share her with everyone," Fuller said. "I knew she'd be a novelty, so I'm proud she held her own."
(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)