Simone Kaplan, Speller 60 and a Florida sixth grader, spelled "bathysmal" correctly. It means of or relating to the bottom of the deeper parts of the sea, especially those parts between 100 and 1000 fathoms deep.
Simone said she was surprised to make it to the finals because she was nervous.
“There's so much fierce competition,” she said. “I'm just honored to be there.”
Simone's goal, she said, was to get to the stage on Thursday.
“Now, I don't even know if I'm going to make a new goal,” she said.
Simone previously competed in 2017 when she tied for 189th place.
