On Thursday night, 14-year-old Dev Shah of Largo, Florida was victorious in the highly anticipated 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Showing remarkable linguistic prowess, Dev successfully spelled the challenging word ‘psammophile’ to secure the prestigious title and claim the coveted top prize of $50,000.
Dev Shah/Twitter
The Scripps National Spelling Bee witnessed intense competition, with a staggering 11 million participants from around the world taking part in spelling bees.
Dev Shah stood out among the top eleven finalists from this vast group of talented spellers, showcasing his spelling skills and dedication to achieving final victory.
Incredible! #Ortador36 Dev Shah, representing the SNSB Region One Bee in Largo, Florida, is the champion of the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee. Her winning word from him? psammophile. 🐝 #spelling bee pic.twitter.com/ebM8jUU6xZ
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) June 2, 2023
In an interview Friday on “CNN This Morning,” Shah said, “I didn’t know if it was happening, if it was real or not.”
The preliminary rounds of the competition were held on Tuesday, with the quarterfinals and semifinals following on Wednesday.
During the intense finals held in National Harbor, Maryland on Thursday, Dev Shah displayed exceptional spelling skills.
What were the words that Dev spelled smoothly?
Dev successfully wrote challenging words like schistorrhachis, aegagrus, rommack, and tolsester. In the last round of words, Dev correctly identified the definition of palmistry, someone who predicts fortune by examining the lines on the palm.
Reflecting on the competition, Dev admitted that it was a harrowing experience.
He humorously described it as nail-biting, using words he’s familiar with from his trusty Merriam-Webster dictionary, such as laborious, exhausting, Augean, and ground-breaking.
“When you’re on stage, your nerves attack you”, he told CNN. “Even if the spellers don’t show it, the pressure gets to us.”
According to Merriam-Webster, ‘psammophila’ refers to an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas.
In the matchup, Dev Shah competed against 14-year-old Charlotte Walsh of Merrifield, Virginia, both being the final two remaining contestants.
Charlotte displayed exceptional spelling skills and secured second place, winning $25,000 for her impressive performance.
Dev Shah/Twitter
Throughout the competition, he successfully spelled challenging words like akuammine, collembolous, and Jhangar.
This year’s National Spelling Bee featured many entrants, with more than 180 first timers and 49 returning contestants. As for Dev, she had previously posted a tied 51st in 2019 and finished a locked 76th in 2021, showing her dedication to improving her performance.
In an interview with CNN, Dev shared his preparation strategy for this year’s contest. He focused on studying the roots of words, with the goal of improving his preparation for competition.
“If I have a word that I didn’t know, then I could figure it out”, he said.
What did Dev win?
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Dev, a student at Morgan Fitzgerald High School in Pinellas Park, Florida, not only secured the champion title, but also received additional honors and awards.
As part of his victory, Dev received $2,000 in book money to donate to the school of his choice. In addition, she received a $2,500 cash award and a Merriam-Webster Reference Book Award.
Dev also received $400 worth of reference materials from the Encyclopedia Britannica, further enriching his academic resources.
“It’s surreal… My legs keep shaking.” he said at the end of the competition.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn