Monterey Boy Correctly Spells 'Cuttanee,' 'Hallowed' In Spelling Bee Contest

MONTEREY - A 12-year-old Monterey boy is competing this week in the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee contest.

Syaal E. Sharifzad, a 7th-grader at Walter Colton Middle School in Monterey, is one of 17 California entrants who began competing Tuesday in the 2016 contest.

According to the Spelling Bee website, after passing through the early preliminary round, Syaal Sharifzad in the second round correctly spelled "cuttanee," which are "piece goods of fine linen or of silk and cotton mixed made in India" as described by Merriam-Webster.

However, Sharifzad stumbled in the second round vocabulary test when asked the question: "If something is described as expugnable, it is:"

Sharifzad answered "very bad or horribly wretched." The correct answer was "capable of being conquered."

In round three, the boy correctly spelled "hallowed," but again stumbled in the vocabulary test when asked the question: "Something allusive is:"

Sharifzad answered "deceptive or unreal" when the correct answer was "marked by indirect reference."

Other correctly answered word spellings in the contest? Check out these: abecedarius, threnody, glissando, recrudescence, acetaminophen and bascule.

Know what they all mean? If not, as my mom used to say, here's a dictionary.

This one's online, and a lot lighter.

-image via spellingbee.com