The first time she came to stage this morning, Katharine Wang, speller 284, tried to use her long-time bee tenure to her advantage. It's her fourth time here.
"Dr. Bailly, would you say we're old friends?" she asked. "Could you do me a favor and give me a word I actually know?"
She spelled "periastron" correctly the first time, but misspelled "cinquecento" and was eliminated.