In yet another impressive performance by an Indian-origin kid in a National Spelling Bee competition, 14-year-old Dev Shah from Florida has emerged as the winner of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in the US.
Shah was able to leave behind ten other finalists who made it to the finals of the national competition, which is conducted every year with the current edition being its 95th.
The background behind the winning word for National Spelling Bee
Dev, who correctly spelled schistorrhachis, aegagrus, rommack and tolsester, won the competition after accurately spelling the 11-letter word 'psammophile'.
Psammophile, originating from an Ancient Greek word -philo, means sand which is from Ancient Greek (phílos, “dear, beloved”) via Latin -phila, means a plant, animal, or any living orgasm is found in abundance in sandy areas.
Also known as psammophytes, Psammophiles thrive in hot and humid places such as Arabian Peninsula or the Sahara.
The organisms can also be found in the dunes coastal regions.
Shah won a cash prize of $50,000 prize money for spelling the word correctly and brought home the trophy.
The Florida resident's win comes after years of disappointment, as Shah previously tied for 51st place in 2019, and finished tied for 76th place in 2021.
