"Thanks so much for being so nice and giving me a good word on my birthday. You made my birthday, Dr. Bailly," said Akash Vukoti, speller 527, who is now 10.
The Texas fourth grader spelled "quota" correctly after he started to joke that he wanted the pronouncer to spell it for him.
"Dr. Bailly, can you spell -- I'm just joking," Akash said.
It's Akash's third Bee, and his sister, Amrita Vukoti -- speller 468 -- also is here. Both spelled their words correctly in the most recent round.
