Meet Akash Vukoti of San Angelo, Texas. At just six years old, he is the youngest contestant -- and the first first-grader -- among 285 contenders at this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Although he misspelled "bacteriolytic" and was knocked out of the competition in Round 3, young Akash charmed the heck out of the crowd. He received a standing ovation and high fives as he left the stage.
Here's a fun video of Akash talking about how he got started in his spelling bee career. He also offers some helpful spelling bee tips and shares his favorite word, "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis." (It's a lung disease caused by inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust. I had to look it up.)
