The 14-year-old boy from Florida spelled an 11-letter word correctly and won the 95th national spelling bee this Thursday.
Dev Shah, an Indian American eighth eighth grader won the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest in the United States. “It’s surreal. My Legs are shaking,” said Dev after winning a $50,000 prize by clearing the 15th round of the finals.
Accordingly, to clear the last round, Shah had to spell the word ‘psammophile’, which as per Merriam -Webster means an organism that can thrive on sandy soils. After hearing the word, Shah instantly recognized the Greek roots of the word and asked for clarification. Knowing he made it made him smile slightly.
This moment left his parents emotional who hopped on stage to congratulate their kid. Shah has been preparing for this big moment for four years now and also participated in 2019 and 2021.
The U.S. Spelling Bee features elementary and middle schoolers who can spell the words most adults can’t even think of. About Eleven Million Students around the world registered in the competition and only 11 students made it to finals. National Spelling Bee was launched in 1925 and has been an annual competition since then.
The second runner-up was Charlotte Walsh, another eighth grader from Arlington, Virginia who spelled the Scottish word "daviely" in the 14th round.
- Kratika Agarwal
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