Rohan Sachdev, 14, was one of 15 finalist in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC.
Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App
Sachdev had to be perfect in the preliminary rounds and he was; correctly spelling "trachelate," "incinerate," "purlieu," "debiteuse," "commis," and "yacata."
But, the pressure was on in the final round, and Sachdev was the first speller called up to spell.
The word he received was "panniculitis," an inflammation in the abdominal layer of fat.
Sachdev was close in his spelling, but missed the second "n."
The teenager lives in Cary and attends Carnage Magnet Middle School in southeast Raleigh.
Ananya Vinay, 12, a sixth-grader from Fresno, Calif., spelled "marocain" correctly to win the National Spelling Bee.
She took home the trophy and a $40,000 cash prize.
As for Sachdev, don't feel too bad for him - he also happens to be the No. 1-ranked tennis player in his age group in North Carolina.