7th grader reaches spelling bee national quarterfinals

June 8, 2023

Raana Parchuri, a seventh grader at Fort Couch Middle School, recently finished as a quarterfinalist at the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee. Raana placed 74th among the 231 participants who qualified for nationals.

Raana correctly spelled "Oort cloud" in round 1, identified the correct definition of "phylum" in round 2, and then correctly spelled "levy" in round 3, allowing him to advance to the quarterfinals.

“He misspelled ‘naperer’ as ‘knaperer,’ thinking that since it was French in origin, the word may have a silent ‘k,’” explained Sunil Parchuri, Raana’s dad. “Nonetheless, we are so proud of his journey and Raana looks forward to returning to the big stage next year.”

Raana qualified to compete at the Scripps National Spelling by winning the 2023 Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Robert Morris University. He also won the regional competition in 2020 as a fourth grader. In 2021, he finished second.