<<Print>>Edith Fuller is a spelling wiz.
With a white bow in her hair, the 5-year-old correctly spelled “jnana” — her 37th word at the Oklahoma Green Country Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday — to become the youngest person ever to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
“I feel thankful,” Edith said after nailing the competition.
“We congratulate Edith Fuller on her impressive performance at her regional bee in Tulsa,” Valerie Miller, spokesperson for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, tells PEOPLE via email. “We celebrate her accomplishment along with the rest of the country… Edith creates even more awareness about our program and our purpose to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.”
Edith is “very bright” according to her mother, Annie Fuller.
“We were amazed to find that she really has a knack for spelling and can remember words that she’s seen or heard very easily,” she told KJRH.
The 5-year-old beat 50 other contestants from across Oklahoma at Saturday night’s regional competition in Tulsa — spelling words like “croesus” and “sarsaparilla” and “baedeker,” Scripps confirms to PEOPLE.
Edith’s parents discovered her unique skill last summer, as they were having dinner one night. Her mother was quizzing her on spelling, and asked her to to give a go at “restaurant,” a word she hadn’t been taught. To the shock of her parents, Edith immediately spelled it correctly.
Edith, who is homeschooled, is preparing to compete in the final level of the prestigious spelling competition, which will be held near Washington, D.C. this year between May 30 and June 1. She’ll be practicing until then. And in her free time, Edith plans to spend time outside.
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