Dev Shah, a 14-year-old student from Largo, won the 95th national spelling bee and the $50,000 (£40,000) prize by spelling “psammophile” correctly. A psammophile is an organism that thrives in sandy areas.
The second-place finisher was Charlotte Walsh, a 14-year-old Arlington, Virginia resident who spelled “daviely” wrongly as “daevilick.”
Spelling bee:11 kids advanced to the finals after 11 million participants entered the competition
According to the organizers, 11 kids advanced to the finals after 11 million participants entered the spelling bees.
“It’s surreal… my legs are still shaking,” Dev said as he collected the trophy on stage, joined by his family. His mother said she was “very proud” of him.
He had previously competed in the tournament twice, finishing 51st in 2019 and 76th in 2021.
He accurately spelled words like bathypitotmeter, schistorrhachis, and rommack on his way to the final. He also gave an appropriate response, saying that a magician would be most likely to practice legerdemain.
Charlotte qualified for the final, which was held at National Harbor, Maryland, by correctly spelling phrases like akuammine, sorge, and collembolous. The national spelling bee began in 1925.
