NPR logo NPR
The Two-WayThe Two-WayBreaking News From NPR

America

The Bee's Knees: There's A New Spelling Champion

by NPR Staff

  • With confetti falling, Snigdha Nandipati, 14, is embraced by her brother, Sujan Nandipati, after she won the National Spelling Bee with the word "guetapens" Thursday.
    Hide caption
    With confetti falling, Snigdha Nandipati, 14, is embraced by her brother, Sujan Nandipati, after she won the National Spelling Bee with the word "guetapens" Thursday.
    Previous Next
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
  • Emma Ciereszynski, 14, of Dover, N.H., shrugs after misspelling a word in the finals of the contest.
    Hide caption
    Emma Ciereszynski, 14, of Dover, N.H., shrugs after misspelling a word in the finals of the contest.
    Previous Next
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
  • Lena Greenberg, 14, of Philadelphia, is eliminated during the finals Thursday.
    Hide caption
    Lena Greenberg, 14, of Philadelphia, is eliminated during the finals Thursday.
    Previous Next
    Alex Brandon/AP
  • Sam Lowery, of Charlestown, Mass., spells his word in the air during Round 2 of the National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., on Wednesday.
    Hide caption
    Sam Lowery, of Charlestown, Mass., spells his word in the air during Round 2 of the National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., on Wednesday.
    Previous Next
    Evan Vucci/AP
  • Vanya Shivashankar, 10, of Olathe, Kansas, spells a word during the semifinals on Thursday.
    Hide caption
    Vanya Shivashankar, 10, of Olathe, Kansas, spells a word during the semifinals on Thursday.
    Previous Next
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
  • Spelling contestants walk back onto the stage for the third round of the National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., on Wednesday.
    Hide caption
    Spelling contestants walk back onto the stage for the third round of the National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., on Wednesday.
    Previous Next
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
  • Nathan Dugan, of Canton, Ohio, spells "cantankerous."
    Hide caption
    Nathan Dugan, of Canton, Ohio, spells "cantankerous."
    Previous Next
    Evan Vucci/AP
  • Lena Greenberg, 14, of Philadelphia, spells out a word in the air.
    Hide caption
    Lena Greenberg, 14, of Philadelphia, spells out a word in the air.
    Previous Next
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
  • Jae Canetti of Fairfax, Va., concentrates on his word "habendum" during the semifinal round on Thursday.
    Hide caption
    Jae Canetti of Fairfax, Va., concentrates on his word "habendum" during the semifinal round on Thursday.
    Previous Next
    Evan Vucci/AP
  • Mignon Tsai, 12, of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, reacts as she misspells a word during Round 5 of the semifinals on Thursday.
    Hide caption
    Mignon Tsai, 12, of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, reacts as she misspells a word during Round 5 of the semifinals on Thursday.
    Previous Next
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
  • Abigail Violet Spitzer of El Paso, Texas, reacts after spelling her word "tondino" correctly during Thursday's semifinal round.
    Hide caption
    Abigail Violet Spitzer of El Paso, Texas, reacts after spelling her word "tondino" correctly during Thursday's semifinal round.
    Previous Next
    Evan Vucci/AP
  • Despite looking nervous, Simola Nayak, 13, of DeKalb County, Ga., spells a word correctly in Round 5 of the semifinals on Thursday.
    Hide caption
    Despite looking nervous, Simola Nayak, 13, of DeKalb County, Ga., spells a word correctly in Round 5 of the semifinals on Thursday.
    Previous Next
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
  • Vismaya Kharkar, 13, of Bountiful, Utah, is jubilant after spelling "allothogenic" correctly.
    Hide caption
    Vismaya Kharkar, 13, of Bountiful, Utah, is jubilant after spelling "allothogenic" correctly.
    Previous Next
    Evan Vucci/AP

1 of 13

View slideshow i

Snigdha Nandipati, 14, of San Diego has been crowned the champion in the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Her winning word was "guetapens," a French-derived word for "an ambush, snare or trap."

A very calm Snigdha beat eight other finalists, including her last competitor, Stuti Mishra, 14, of West Melbourne, Fla. Stuti got tripped up on the word "schwarmerei."

The winner got $30,000 in cash, a trophy, a $2,500 savings bond, a $5,000 scholarship, $2,600 in reference works from the Encyclopedia Britannica and an online language course.

A group of us here at NPR (including our copy chief Susan Vavrick) watched and live-chatted the Bee. You can read our conversation below:

Comments

 

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

NPR logo NPR
The Two-WayThe Two-WayBreaking News From NPR