After flubbing a chance to win earlier in Thursday’s Scripps National Spelling Bee final, the 13-year-old from the Dallas ...

Scripps has begun relying on obscure geographical terms to winnow down the field of spellers in the later rounds. While the ...

Example: Placing 22nd in the Scripps National Spelling Bee as a fourth grader — the first year that students are eligible — then heading to the national contest again the following year.

Yet when Avi's spelling journey concluded in last year's semifinals, Randhawa, a pediatric endocrinologist who goes by “Dr. Happy,” was decidedly grumpy. His gripe? At unexpected and critical ...