One of two Nevada representatives in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee being held in Washington survived the first three rounds on Tuesday.
Priya Konduru, 14, a recent eighth grader at Davidson Academy of Nevada in Reno and a two-time bee competitor, correctly spelled her first-round word — “Zanni” (proper name, a character type of commedia dell’arte) — and then provided the correct definition to her second-round word “zoolatry” (worship of animals).
Konduru advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinals by successfully completing a six-question test of spelling and multiple-choice vocabulary questions.
However, Sophia Garcia, 14, a recent eighth grader at Our Lady of Las Vegas, correctly spelled her first-round word — Huallaga (proper name, a river in north central Peru) — but then gave an incorrect definition of courteously or pleasantly to her second-round word of “ostensibly” (to all outward appearances). She was eliminated from the 247-speller field.
Konduru and Garcia are sponsored by the Public Education Foundation.
The bee’s quarterfinals and semifinals will be held Wednesday, with the semis live on Ion TV beginning at 5 p.m. PDT. The finals will be Thursday, also televised on Ion at 5 p.m. PDT.
The bee is being held at Constitution Hall in Washington after being held since 2011 at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
