misspelled “Lubavitcher” got the student disqualified

DES MOINES, Iowa —

An eighth-grader from Iowa made it all the way to the seventh round of the National Spelling Bee, before tripping over a “t.”

Jonathan Hahn, 14, of Central Community School in Elkader, misspelled “Lubavitcher.” The word that means “a member of a Hasidic sect” disqualified the student.

Hahn’s favorite subjects in school include math and science. This was his second trip to the national bee. Mattias Gassman

Another Iowa eighth-grader, Mattias Gassman, of Ames Middle School, tied for 27th place in the bee.

He missed the word “ranunculus,” which is a plant. Gassman misspelled it with an “e.”

Both students were sponsored by Iowa newspapers.

The spelling champ was David Scott Tidmarsh, of South Bend, Ind.