2015 National Spelling Bee

Vanya Shivashankar, 13, left, of Olathe, Kan., left, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis, hold up the trophy as co-champions after winning the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Vanya Shivashankar, 13, left, of Olathe, Kan., hugs her older sister, 2009 Spelling Bee champion Kavya, right, after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. Vanya shares the championship with Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Scripps National Spelling Bee co-champion Vanya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kan., is embraced by her father Merl Shivashankar, right, in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Dev Jaiswal, 13, of Jackson, Miss., is embraced by his sister Rani, right, and mother Hernlata after incorrectly spelling the word "iridocyclitis" in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Mirle, left, the father of Vanya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kan., and Krishnan, the father of Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis, sit onstage together after their children are named co-champions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Vanya Shivashankar, right, 13, of Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis, react as they are named co-champions after winning the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Siddharth Krishnakumar, 13, of Houston reacts as he incorrectly spells "minhag" during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Paul Keaton, 14, of Lexington, Ky, gets a hug from his sister Emily, left, and father Andy Keaton, right, after incorrectly spelling the word in "poikilitic" in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Sylvie Lamontagne, 12, of Denver, Colo., reacts as she incorrectly spells "cerastes" during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis waits for his turn to spell a word in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Vanya Shivashankar, 13, left, of Olathe, Ks., and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, right, of St. Louis, Mo., wait during a break to continue competition in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Siyona Mishra, 11, of Orlando, Fla. thinks about how to spell "hacek" during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Vanya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kan., talks with her father, Mirle, during a timeout in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Dev Jaiswal, 13, of Jackson, Miss. reacts after incorrectly spelling "iridocyclitis" during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Sylvie Lamontagne, 12, of Denver, Colo., thinks about how to spell "cerastes" during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Vanya Shivashankar, second from left, 13, of Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam, right, 14, of St. Louis, are greeted onstage by their families as co-champions after winning the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Siddharth Krishnakumar, 13, of Houston, correctly spells the word "albumblatt" in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Sylvie Lamontagne, 12, of Denver, Colo., incorrectly spells the word "cerastes" in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
The remaining two spellers Vanya Shivashankar, left, 13, of Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis, sit onstage together during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Vanya Shivashankar, fourth from right, 13, of Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam, right, 14, of St. Louis, are greeted onstage by their families as co-champions after winning the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The remaining two spellers Vanya Shivashankar, 13, left, of Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, right, of St. Louis, sit on stage during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Siyona Mishra, 11, of Orlando, Fla, incorrectly spells the word "hacek" in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Snehaa Ganesh Kumar, 12, of Sacramento, Calif., correctly spells the word "bouillabaisse" in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
The remaining two spellers Vanya Shivashankar, left, 13, of Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis, sit onstage during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Ankita Vadiala, 13, of Manassas, Va., reacts as she is given the word "billable" to spell during the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. Vadiala spelled the word correctly. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Cole Shafer-Ray, 14, of Oklahoma City, Okla. reacts after incorrectly spelling "acritarch" during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Spelling Bee Final Cole Shafer-Ray, 14, of Oklahoma City, Okla., correctly spells the word "samadhi" in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Paul Keaton, 14, of Lexington, Ky., correctly spells the word "crannog" in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Dev Jaiswal, 13, of Jackson, Miss., slaps hands with fellow competitors while walking offstage after incorrectly spelling the word "iridocyclitis" in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Dev Jaiswal, 13, of Jackson, Miss., reacts after correctly spelling the word "bacchus" in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Dev Jaiswal, 13, of Jackson, Miss., thinks about how to spell "bacchius" during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Vanya Shivashankar, 13, left, of Olathe, Kan., hugs her older sister, 2009 Spelling Bee champion, Kavya, right, after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. Vanya shares the championship with Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Tejas Muthusamy, 12, of Richmond, Va., correctly spells the word "billiken" in the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Cole Shafer-Ray, 14, left, of Oklahoma City, Okla., sits with his parents and looks back to the stage after incorrectly spelling a word during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Gracie Benton, 12, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., yawns as the third round of preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee come to an end, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Julia McCoy, 13, of Mount Vernon, Wash., reacts after incorrectly spelling "damson" during the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
James Bryner, 13, of Price, Utah, sticks out his tongue after miss-spelling the word "heliophilous" in the third round of preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Christopher Relyea, 12, of Cumberland, R.I. is comforted by his mother Marina Relyea after incorrectly spelling "vexillology" during the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Madeline Rickert, 14, of Bismarck, N.D., gestures to the audience after correctly spelling "telamon" during the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Hailey Hogenson, 13, of Ludington, Mich., reacts to missspelling the word "intussusception" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Rosie Shultz, 10, of Shreveport, La., reacts as she missspells the word "zamzummim" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Sophia Han, 14, of Tianjin, China, thinks about how to spell her word "vermicide" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Nick Sarji, 12, of Kailua, Hawaii waits for the preliminaries of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee to begin, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Grant Taylor, 12, of Lubbock, Texas, left, is congratulated by Tristan Salinas, 13, of McAllen, Texas, as he correctly spelled "wanton" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Kelvin Winney, 10, of Window Rock, Ariz. competes during 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Dev Jaiswal, 13, of Jackson, Miss., gives two thumbs-up as his word, "bravura", is used in a sentence before he correctly spells it, during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Mary Jo Johnson, 12, of Dayton, Ohio, reacts as she correctly spells her word "indigenous" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Kasey Torres, 10, of San Angelo, Texas, reaches up for the microphone as he takes the stage during 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Spellers leave the stage during the 2105 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Ankita Vadiala, 13, of Manassas, Va., celebrates correctly spelling the word "geta" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Jenna-May Ingal, 14, of Riverside, Calif. struggles to stay away during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Katie Collins, 12, of Terre Haute, Ind, spells the word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Aahil Nishad, 9, of Danbury, Conn., struggles to get the microphone to his level before correctly spelling the word "mahal" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Stacie Bunting hugs and kisses her daughter Kaelin Bunting, 10, of Corpus Christi, Texas, who correctly spelled "diagnosis" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. Also pictured is Kaelin's sister McKenna, 8, center left. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Placards with names of spellers sit on chairs at the as the 2015 the Scripps National Spelling Bee continues in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
The championship trophy sits in front of spellers, including Cameron Keith, 9, of Boulder, Colo., right, as they await the start of the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee to start, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Bryce Harrell, 13, of Bartow, Fla., spells a word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Zander Reed, 12, of Ames, Iowa, reacts after misspelling his word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Jillian Fusi, 13, of El Centro, Calif., left, is congratulated by Emily Alldrin, 13, of Redding, Calif., right, after spelling her word correctly during 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The championship trophy awaits a winner of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, as the Bee begins in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Tyler Berndt, 12, of West Palm Beach, Fla. yawns during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Parents take photos of spellers during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Nathaniel Britton, 14, of Macomb, Mich., spells the word "incorruptible" during the 2105 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Kasey Torres, 10, of San Angelo, Texas, thinks about how to spell "antipasto" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Zander Reed, 12, of Ames, Iowa, gets a kiss from his father, Todd, after incorrectly spelling his word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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WASHINGTON — This year, 285 spellers will compete for the title of 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

The Bee runs from May 26 to May 28 at National Harbor, Maryland.

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