5-Year-Old Edith Fuller Is the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s Youngest Speller Ever

“J-N-A-N-A. Jnana.”

That’s the word (a Hindu noun meaning “knowledge acquired through meditation and study as a means of reaching Brahman,” according to Dictionary.com) that won 5-year-old Edith Fuller the 2017 Scripps Green Country Regional Spelling Bee in Tulsa on Saturday—and earned her a place on the stage at this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, making her the competition’s youngest-ever competitor.

Fuller beat out more than 50 other kids, some of them middle schoolers, to win the competition and advance to what is largely considered the Super Bowl of Spelling. “I feel thankful,” Fuller told Tulsa World after her historic win.

“It’s fun to share her with everyone,” Edith’s mom, Annie, added. “I knew she’d be a novelty, so I’m proud she held her own.”

Annie said it was only last summer that the family noticed Edith’s talent with words. They were having dinner together when Edith spelled restaurant, without ever having been taught the word. “We knew there was something special there,” Annie said.

Edith has been practicing her spelling ever since, which was clear to anyone in the audience. Among the words she triumphed in spelling over the more-than-four-hour competition were sevruga, Panglossian, virgule, and Eocene.

Fuller will advance to the 90th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which kicks off on May 28, 2017. Can you spell adorable?

[h/t: Cosmopolitan]