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A kid was asked to spell 'bodhrán' at the US Spelling Bee and nailed it

Bodhran. B-o-d-h-r-a-n.

Jun 2nd 2017, 5:29 PM 5,832 Views 1 Comment

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THE SCRIPPS NATIONAL Spelling Bee took place in Maryland yesterday and saw dozens of tiny human dictionaries spelling their little socks off in an effort to be crowned champion.

The Spelling Bee is renowned for throwing up obscure words and yesterday was no different. In fact, two Irish words made an appearance.

Shruthika Padhy, a 12-year-old from New Jersey, was tasked with spelling bodhran and nailed it.

#speller278 Shruthika Padhy from NJ spelled the word bodhran (shallow handheld Irish drum) correctly #spellingbee #B in BeePlayAlong
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) June 1, 2017

Source: NationalSpellingBee/Twitter

People at home were both impressed with her aptitude for Gaeilge and perplexed at the silent ‘d’ in bodhran.

You know: the good old Irish silent /d/: bodhran \ˈbȯ-(ˌ)rän, -rən\ #spellingbee (Correctly spelled!)
— Peter Sokolowski (@PeterSokolowski) June 1, 2017

Source: Peter Sokolowski/Twitter

A shallow handheld Irish drum. Bodhran. Yes, 278, did it!! That was difficult. The pronounciation is boron. Fucking gaelic. #SpellingBee
— soft boiled ostrich egg🦉⚰ (@lizlem0ngrab) June 1, 2017

Source: Tara/Twitter

#SpellingBee #BeeWord636
Correct spelling: Bodhran
My spelling: Boran....
— Matt Gasper (@MattGasperTV) June 1, 2017

Source: Matt Gasper/Twitter

The bodhran is going global!

Bodhran. A shallow handheld Irish drum. So many instruments I have never heard of! #musicisnspellers #spelingbee
— Ann Gerrietts (@NeatStringer) June 1, 2017

Source: Ann Gerrietts/Twitter

Elsewhere in the competition, Rohan Rajeev, a 14-year-old speller from Oklahoma, was asked to spell ‘rinkafadda’

Or as it’s known as Gaeilge: rince fada.

#speller235 Rohan Rajeev spelled the word rinkafadda (Irish dance resembling the Virginia reel) correctly #spellingbee #D in BeePlayAlong
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) June 2, 2017

Source: NationalSpellingBee/Twitter

Once again, everyone was fierce impressed (and confused)

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Best words I have seen on the National Spelling Bee tonight are hohuhababa, izzat, fauxbaurdon, and rinkafadda 😂 #nobodyusesthesewords
— Cheezus (@cheddarj44) June 2, 2017

Source: Jared Tschetter/Twitter

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Unfortunately, spelling bodhran and rinkafadda correctly wasn’t enough for Shruthika and Rohan

Shruthika Padhy came 7th overall while Rohan Rajeev finished in an agonising second place. Still, at least they can take with the knowledge that they spelled bodhran and rinkafadda correctly.

Congrats to Rohan Rajeev for your runner-up finish in @ScrippsBee! You did great & your hometown is proud of you! #spellingbee
— City of Edmond (@CityofEdmond) June 2, 2017

Source: City of Edmond/Twitter

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A kid was asked to spell 'bodhrán' at the US Spelling Bee and nailed it

Bodhran. B-o-d-h-r-a-n.

Shruthika Padhy, a 12-year-old from New Jersey, was tasked with spelling bodhran and nailed it.