OXON HILL, Md. — Fourteen-year-old Karthik Nemmani of McKinney, Texas, has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Karthik spelled the word “koinonia” correctly to become the champion late Thursday. He also spelled “haecceitas” correctly after seventh-grader Naysa Modi from Frisco, Texas, missed the word “Bewusstseinslage” in the final round.
The finals began with 41 spellers, and the number slowly dwindled over five rounds, but there was never a mass exodus from the stage. At one point in the second round, 21 consecutive kids spelled their words correctly.
The champion of the 93-year-old competition will receive more than $42,000 in cash and prizes.
