Indian-Origin Boy Wins US Spelling Bee

The Scripps National Spelling Bee’s newest winner was Indian-born Dev Shah. After surviving the 15th round of the finals, Largo, Florida’s Dev won first place. According to Merriam-Webster, a “psammophile” is an organism that flourishes on sandy soils. Charlotte Walsh, an eighth-grader from Arlington, Virginia, placed second after spelling “divinely,” a Scottish term for listlessly, in the 14th round.

Dev, from Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, spelled “bathypitotmeter” properly in the 14th round. He had to spell “psammophile” to win.

The 14-year-old said, “It’s surreal,” after winning. I’m shaking.” In 24 years, Dev is the 22nd South Asian Spelling Bee champion. Dev Shah was one of eleven finalists from over 11 million entries from children aged 11 to 14. In 2019, Dev tied for 51st, and in 2021, he tied for 76th.

The National Spelling Bee, which began in 1925 and is available solely to eighth graders, has seen Indian Americans thrive. Harini Logan, an eighth-grader from Texas, defeated Vikram Raju, an Indian-American, last year. In a 90-second spell-off, Logan spelled 22 words correctly. Dev received $50,000 from Bee sponsor E.W. Scripps Co. He won money from Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Unabridged is the competition’s official dictionary.

This year’s tournament had 94 females, 134 boys, and two nonbinary spellers. After 27 years, ESPN’s 2022 event shifted to Scripps’ ION and Bounce. According to Reuters, ION will air the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals again. The E. W. Scripps Company hosts an annual spelling tournament for US students.