Scripps National Spelling Bee 2025 Preliminary Results, Prize Money and Reaction

The 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee began on Tuesday as more than 200 spellers looked to advance past the preliminary round.

In the preliminaries, spellers competed in a traditional spelling round in Round 1 before partaking in the vocabulary round in Round 2. Those who advanced past the preliminaries moved on to the quarterfinals, which will be held on Wednesday. The semifinals will also be held on Wednesday before the finals on Thursday.

The winner of the Spelling Bee will earn a $52,500 cash prize. Second place will get $25,00, third will take home $15,000 and fourth will earn $10,000. All finalists will receive $1,000.

Round 1 proved to be a tough one as 42 of the 243 spellers were eliminated. Round 2 didn't see quite as many eliminations with 18. After the first two rounds, 183 spellers will move on to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Aishwarya Kallakuri, winner of this year's SpellPundit National Spelling Bee, moved on to Round 2 after correctly spelling "certiorari." In the vocabulary round, Kallakuri correctly defined "tractability," punching a ticket to the quarterfinals.

Having already won a major spelling event this year, Kallakuri will be a name to watch in the coming days.

Another top contender in this year's bee is Tarini Nandakumar, who is competing for the fifth time after reaching the finals in the past. Nandakumar correctly spelled "hennin" in the first round and defined "cacophonous" in the second round to advance.

As the Spelling Bee unfolds over the coming days, several familiar faces will look to get a coveted win while some newer spellers will look to establish themselves among the contenders.

The quarterfinals begin Wednesday at 8 a.m. ET and the semifinals will take place starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.