Phoebe Smith, Speller 326 and a Pennsylvania seventh grader misspelled "cabalassou," a large armadillo measuring about three feet exclusive of the tail.
She tied for 189th place last year.
Phoebe said she was nervous but "super excited" to spell.
"I'm going to do my best and see how it goes," she said. "I'm just going to try to stay as calm as I was earlier and take a deep breath and figure it out."
In addition to spelling, Phoebe likes to sing, write and read -- she particularly likes Roald Dahl. She and a few other spellers had a study session earlier this week on the National Harbor Ferris wheel.
