Would You Use That in a Sentence, Please?

Chattanooga's contestant in this year's E.W. Scripps National Spelling Bee knows how to spell the word that defines a woman who is admired for her braveness or the woman who's the star of the show: H-E-R-O-I-N-E. The word describing someone who is totally outrageous, raunchy, crude in every way? That's a different story.  R-A-B-E-L-A-I-S-I-A-N spells the end of the spelling bee for Tanay Patri.  He spelled it R-E-B-E-L-A-S-I-A-N, which is incorrect.  The 11 year old fifth grader from Hickory Valley Christian School went out in the third round. There are 293 contestants in this year's spelling competition. Patri was number 242.

Now, a little history of the spelling bee. The first one had just nine contestants. That was in 1925. It is the nation's largest and longest-running educational promotion, and is for non-profit. According to the National Spelling Bee, their mission is to "help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives."

The Scripps National Spelling Bee has been broadcast on ABC from 2006-2009. The finals are on NewsChannel 9 Thursday night beginning at 8 o'clock central time.