The Scripps National Spelling Bee is back. Held in Oxon Hill, Maryland, its a place where dreams are made and shattered, and where things can get pretty intense..
Spelling Bee US
Spelling Bee(01 of26)
Sophia Han, 14, of Tianjin, China, thinks about how to spell her word "vermicide" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(02 of26)
Hailey Hogenson, 13, of Ludington, Mich., reacts to missspelling the word "intussusception" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(03 of26)
Alexandra Harper, 14, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, reacts after correctly spelling "triskelion" during the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(04 of26)
Andrew France, 13, of Cleveland, Ohio, applauds after correctly spelling "leberwurst" during the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(05 of26)
Julia McCoy, 13, of Mount Vernon, Wash., reacts after incorrectly spelling "damson" during the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(06 of26)
Joel Miles, 12, of Peculiar, Mo., spells the word "henna" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(07 of26)
Dev Jaiswal, 13, of Jackson, Miss., gives two thumbs-up as his word, "bravura", is used in a sentence before he correctly spells it, during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(08 of26)
Vanya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, spells the word "pistachio" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(09 of26)
Hailey Hogenson, 13, of Ludington, Mich., flips her hair before spelling the word "amphibious" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(10 of26)
Nathaniel Britton, 14, of Macomb, Mich., spells the word "incorruptible" during the 2105 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(11 of26)
Jonathon Schafer, 13, of Naples, Fla. misspells his word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(12 of26)
Andrew Lazenby, 11, of Baltimore has his collar adjusted by a member of the staff before competing in the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(13 of26)
Jonathon Schafer, 13, of Naples, Fla., center, yawns during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(14 of26)
Zander Reed, 12, of Ames, Iowa, gets a kiss from his father, Todd, after incorrectly spelling his word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(15 of26)
Katie Collins, 12, of Terre Haute, Ind, spells the word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(16 of26)
Zander Reed, 12, of Ames, Iowa, reacts after misspelling his word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(17 of26)
Kelvin Winney, 10, of Window Rock, Ariz. thinks before spelling his word during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(18 of26)
Kelvin Winney, 10, of Arizona pauses while spelling his word in the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(19 of26)
Nick Sarji, 12, of Kailua, Hawaii waits for the preliminaries of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee to begin, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Spelling Bee(20 of26)
Sophia Han, 14, of Tianjin, China, thinks about how to spell her word "vermicide" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(21 of26)
Ankita Vadiala, 13, of Manassas, Va., gives a double thumbs-up after find out that she is one of fifty finalists of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(22 of26)
Madeline Rickert, 14, of Bismarck, N.D., gestures to the audience after correctly spelling "telamon" during the preliminaries of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(23 of26)
Jan Lomahan, 13, of Hagerstown, Md., holds his forehead as he walks off-stage after missspelling the word "adelie" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(24 of26)
Brody Dicks, 10, of Park City, Utah, thinks about how to spell "souvenir" during the 2105 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(25 of26)
Mary Jo Johnson, 12, of Dayton, Ohio, reacts as she correctly spells her word "indigenous" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Spelling Bee(26 of26)
Kayleigh Guffey, 13, of Gastonia, N.C., spells the word "altruism" during the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)