"The worst I can do is misspell," said Sreeniketh Vogoti, speller 38 and a first-time bee-goer.
"I like your attitude," Dr. Bailly replied.
Sreeniketh misspelled "palagonite" and was eliminated.
"I'd like to thank my friends, family and my teachers," he said before
exiting the stage.
Before the finals, Sreeniketh said he wasn't expecting to go this far.
"I hope to get out on a difficult word," he said.
Watching him compete was emotionally draining for his parents, Sreeniketh said.
"I'm trying not to think about it," he said of the potential to win.
He is a Florida seventh grader.
