Eighth-grader from Arkansas eliminated at annual Scripps National Spelling Bee

May 31, 2017 at 3:18 p.m.

by Brandon Riddle

Haris Rana (right), an eighth-grader at Fort Smith’s Chaffin Junior High School, and Pulaski Academy seventh-grader Parray Faizan were the top two finishers in Saturday’s spelling bee. Rana now advances to the national competition.
Haris Rana (right), an eighth-grader at Fort Smith’s Chaffin Junior High School, and Pulaski Academy seventh-grader Parray Faizan were the top two finishers in Saturday’s spelling bee. Rana now advances to the national competition.

An eighth-grader from Arkansas was one of several eliminated Wednesday during the third round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Haris Rana, who attends Chaffin Jr. High School in Fort Smith, incorrectly spelled “transference” at the annual bee, which is held in Washington, D.C. He spelled it "t-r-a-n-s-f-e-r-r-a-n-c-e."

In an earlier round Tuesday, the 13-year-old correctly spelled "Keynesian."

The Arkansas native has been competing since he was in the fifth grade, according to his biography on the Scripps National Spelling Bee website.

In March, he won Arkansas' State Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "chasuble" after three-and-a-half hours of competing.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported that Rana spent about two hours a day memorizing words over the past year. Rana would repeat spellings "over and over and over again," he said.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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