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The number of finalists is the fewest since 2010, when Scripps had to stop a semifinal round out of fear it would bring too few spellers to the prime-time telecast, then on ABC.

Achyut had plenty of company among the more than 100 spellers eliminated on Wednesday, spelling’s saddest day.

As the remaining spellers dwindled, Shradha was given “orle,” a heraldry term that means several small charges arranged to form a border within the edge of a field.

Even among Indian American spellers, a particular subgroup is overrepresented: families from the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where Telugu is the primary language.

Some spellers are a bit faster, but I also have vision issues.