National Spelling Bee: Tustin eighth-grader bests more than 500 to make it to finals

An eighth-grader from Tustin was among 16 spellers, out of more than 500, to advance Thursday to the closing portion of the 92nd Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Nicholas D’Sa, who attends St. Cecilia Catholic School, qualified from the original field of 562 by scoring high enough on a spelling and vocabulary test and correctly spelling two words on stage at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., near Washington.

The 13-year-old was among 50 finalists in the competition, which was whittled to 27 by midday and further cut to 16 Thursday afternoon.

He correctly spelled “nepotism” in the second round and “macronutrient” in the third round. As he advanced through the competition, he correctly spelled “basileus” in the fourth round; “chorea” in the fifth; “atala” in the sixth; “capillaire” in the seventh; and “huiscoyol” in the eighth.

Nicholas earned a spot in the national bee by winning the Orange County Spelling Bee. Following that victory March 2, Nicholas said he planned “to study a couple hours every day for nationals so that I can make the most of the opportunity to represent Orange County.”

A speller from Orange County has never won the national bee.

The original field consisted of spellers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, along with American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense schools in Europe. Seven foreign nations also were represented — the Bahamas, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea.

The winner will receive a record $50,000 cash prize, $10,000 more than last year, from Scripps, which owns television stations and newspapers. The winner also receives $2,500 and a complete reference library from dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster; reference works and a three-year online membership from Encyclopedia Britannica; plus trips to Hollywood, to appear on the ABC late-night program “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and New York City, to appear on the syndicated morning talk show “Live With Kelly and Ryan.”