Indiana's Finalist In Scripps Spelling Bee 2018

ACROSS INDIANA — Jashun Paluru, an eighth grader from West Lafayette, is representing Indiana in the finals friday for the 2018's Scripps National Spelling Bee. The spelling bee website says Paluru, 13, previously competed in the event in 2016, where he earned 10th place and 2017 where he was tied for 16th place.

He attends Battle Ground Middle School.

More than 500 spellers were set to spell when the 2018's Scripps National Spelling Bee officially kicked off Tuesday in Maryland. 18 of those spellers are from Indiana.

Scripps Spelling Bee 2018: Meet The Indiana Spellers

For the finals, tune into ESPN 2 until 2 p.m. eastern for Part 1 and for Part 2, tune into ESPN at 8:30 p.m eastern.

And if you're curious about whether you have what it takes to compete in the Bee, you can take the preliminaries test to find out.

(PHOTO: 12 year old Ananya Vinay of Fresno, CA. won the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee by spelling the word 'marocain', at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center June 1, 2017 in National Harbor, Maryland. Close to 300 spellers are competing in the annual spelling contest for the top honor this year. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)