14-year-old Dev Shah wins the Scripps National Spelling bee by correctly spelling ‘psammophile’
Before 14-year-old Dev Shah won the Scripps National Spelling Bee, he was eliminated in a regional competition — 15 months before he made a comeback, in fact.
“Despondent is the right word,” Shah told The Associated Press. “I just didn’t know if I wanted to keep continuing.”
But he did continue. The 14-year-old hails from Largo, Florida, and after navigating through COVID-19 pandemic interruptions to his spelling career, he correctly spelled the word “psammophile,” meaning a plant or animal that has adapted to live in sand, to become the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee winner on Thursday.
“I would say I was confident on the outside but inside I was nervous, especially for my winning word — well, like, before. Not during,” Shah told AP.
What does the Scripps National Spelling Bee winner win?
Shah took home the $50,000 cash prize and says that in his free time, he likes to call friends, solve math problems and watch historical fiction movies, according to his bio.
Fellow 14-year-old Charlotte Walsh placed second after incorrectly spelling “daviely” as “daevilick,” which means listlessly.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee began in 1925, and students up until eighth grade are allowed to compete, per NPR.
How many children compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
This year’s competition started off with 231 spellers on Tuesday, and it whittled down to 11 finalists on Thursday until Shah came out as the crowned winner, per The Wall Street Journal.
