Dev Shah, 14, of Largo, Florida, has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The kid defeated his final opponent, eighth-grader Charlotte Walsh of Arlington, Virginia, by correctly spelling “psammophile,” which Merriam-Webster defines as “an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas.”
“It’s surreal,” Shah stated upon being named the winner. “I’m not sure if it’s settled in. “My legs are still trembling!” Before Shah’s final turn at the mike, Walsh botched the word “daviely,” allowing Shah to swoop in and win.
In Thursday’s tournament, Shah had to spell 15 words to become the 95th Scripps Spelling Bee champion and win the $50,000 top prize.
On Thursday, he was one of 11 finalists. Two contestants were removed in the first round for misspelling their words. In contrast, a third was eliminated in the second round, where spellers were asked a multiple-choice question concerning the word’s definition.
Here’s a tweet from one of the most popular websites, Axios, about Florida’s Dev Shah Wins 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee:-
Florida teen Dev Shah has won the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee tonight after a nail-biting final with 11 other spellers https://t.co/bYpiVIhJcZ
— Axios (@axios) June 2, 2023
Six additional students were eliminated in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, including Utah’s Surya Kapu, this year’s sole repeat finalist.
It was then a battle between Shah and Walsh. Shah correctly pronounced “bathypitotmeter,” but Walsh bungled her final night word, “daviely.”
This year’s tournament did not result in a “spell-off” — a procedure introduced last year in response to a tremendous eight-way tie for the title in 2019.
The spell-off, which would have occurred this year if no champion had been selected before the bee’s one-hour and 55-minute point, gives each participant 90 seconds to spell a set of words.
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