Queens whiz Arvind Mahankali will never forget how to spell “schwannoma.”
For the second straight year, Mahankali placed third at the Scripps National Spelling Bee after misspelling the word s-c-h-v-o-n-o-m-a and hearing the dreaded ding of elimination. Mahankali came in ninth in 2010.
For his spellbinding run, Mahankali won $7,500.
The 12-year-old wordsmith advanced to the national championships after winning the Daily News New York Spelling Bee for the third straight year.
The seventh grader still has a chance to take home Scripps’ top prize; he still has one year of eligibility.
Snigdha Nandipati, 14 of San Diego, correctly spelled “guetapens” to win the competition and take home $37,500 in prizes.
Besides spelling, Mahankali also play tennis and basketball and performs drama and classical Indian music. An avid reader, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” is his favorite book.
