"I don't want to put you off your game, but can you try to spell a little bit slower?" Dr. Bailly asked.
Melodie Loya, speller 274, slowed down a tiny bit as she spelled "madrague," a large net attached to stakes or equipped with sinkers and floats used to capture tuna in the Mediterranean.
The New York eighth grader wasn't sure of the word -- but was thrilled to have gotten it right. She walked back to her seat with her hands in the air, having made a sharp intake of breath.
Melodie tied for 25th place last year and 18th in 2017.