Winning word: psammophile. 14-year-old from Florida wins national spelling bee
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Dev Shah, an eighth-grader from Largo, Fla., has won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee after spelling "psammophile" correctly.
Transcript
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The winner of the country's biggest spelling bee is Dev Shah, an eighth grader from Largo, Fla.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
You know, Leila, the Scripps National Spelling Bee kind of reminds me of how spelling in public makes me all anxious.
FADEL: Does it? OK. A, here's a chance to prove yourself. Try spelling the word that earned Dev the win. It's psammophile.
MARTÍNEZ: Definition, please.
FADEL: Psammophile, an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soil or areas.
MARTÍNEZ: Psammophile, S-A...
FADEL: No, no, no. Listen to Dev do it.
(SOUNDBITE OF 2023 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE)
DEV SHAH: P-S-A-M-M-O-P-H-I-L-E, psammophile.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: That is correct.
MARTÍNEZ: Oh, my gosh.
FADEL: You were really wrong.
MARTÍNEZ: That's more therapy for me.
FADEL: Dev gets to take home more than $50,000 and the championship trophy.
(SOUNDBITE OF PHILANTHROPE AND THE FIELD TAPES' "PEACHES") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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