6-year-old competes in National Spelling Bee

Think you're a good speller? You may get whipped by a six-year-old.

Lori Anne Madison is the youngest competitor in the history of the National Spelling Bee.

Madison, from Virginia, lost in the second round on Wednesday, trying to spell "ingluvies," which she started with an "e".

When Madison was told that the "e" was incorrect, her eyes grew wide in shock.

The first-grader made her way back to her seat in the back row on the stage, accepting congratulatory handshakes from several other spellers.

Paige Kimble, the Director of the National Spelling Bee, said Madison was a "charming addition to the event".

Channel 4 spoke with Robert Kelly, District Literacy Specialist for Duval County Schools.

Kelly said he doesn't suspect that Madison's spelling is simply genetic, he said other factors play into teaching young kids to spell.

"Maybe that child had good exposure from day one to language to text. 'When you say day one, how early is that?' Well, we know there is research out there that infants even respond to language or voices," said Kelly. "Normally the kids we see that are proficient readers are wide readers. They read a lot and read things that they're interested in. I think that's important."