Dev Shah, a 14-year-old Indian American from Largo, Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. He won the championship in the 15th round of the contest’s finals nailing the word “psammophile,” meaning an organism that thrives in sandy soils.
A student of Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, Dev Shah had correctly spelled “bathypitotmeter” in the 14th round. Under the spelling bee rules he needed to land one more word to be declared a winner. Dev Shah edged out eighth-grader Charlotte Walsh, 14, from Arlington, Virginia, who finished in second-place after she misspelled “daviely,” a Scottish-rooted word for listlessly, in the 14th round.
This year’s contest comprised 231 contestants. Dev Shah was among 11 contestants, aged 11 to 14, who advanced to the finals of this year’s event after beating other competitors participating in the three-day contest, held in National Harbor, Maryland. This is Dev Shah’s third attempt at the spelling bee contest. He tied for 51st place in the 2019 edition of the spelling bee, and tied for 76th place in 2021.
Image courtesy Reuters.
