For the Dallas County Spelling Bee, more than 80 area elementary and middle-school students came to UT Dallas with one common goal: to tackle some of the most difficult words in the English language.

UT Dallas hosted the annual event for the fourth time Feb. 19-21.

“The students who participated in this year’s bee showed off their tremendous spelling ability and a competitive drive,” said Raul Hinojosa, director of community engagement at UT Dallas. “The University is pleased to host these types of academic-based competitions because they showcase the talent of young students who might one day enroll at UT Dallas.”

The winner in the public school category was Smrithi Upadhyayula from Cottonwood Creek Elementary in Coppell. Her winning word was “fluviatile,” which means “found in, or produced by a river.”

Second place in the public school category went to Afra Kamal from Harmony School of Business.

In the private schools competition, the first-place winner was Joshua Limsenben from Providence Christian School in Dallas. The second-place winner was Patrick Andrews from Cistercian Preparatory School in Irving.

The winners will compete Sunday, March 24, in the Regional Bee, which will be broadcast live on WFAA-TV. The winner of the regional competition will advance to the National Bee in Washington, D.C.

The Dallas County Spelling Bee was sponsored by The Dallas Morning News, Dallas County Schools, UT Dallas, Whataburger, Nate’s Nature North Dallas Honey Co., Weir’s Furniture and Southwest Airlines.