Dev Shaw, 14, of Largo, Fla., reacts as he wins the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md.
Nick Wass/AP
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Nick Wass/AP
Dev Shaw, 14, of Largo, Fla., reacts as he wins the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md.
Nick Wass/AP
Dev Shaw, 14, from Florida, has won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
According to Merriam-Webster, Shaw’s winning term is “psammophile,” a noun used to describe animals and plants that like to live in sandy soil environments.
Shaw, an eighth-grader from Largo in the Tampa Bay area, correctly spelled “poliorcetics,” “aegagrus” and “schistorrhachis” to take home the $50,000 cash prize.
Shaw has previously competed in the National Spelling Bee twice — in 2019, when she tied for 51st place, and in 2021, when she tied for 76th place.
Apart from the typo, Shah He also likes math and social studies and likes to solve math problems and watch historical fiction movies in his spare time. He plays tennis and cello. His favorite sportsman is Roger Federer and his favorite movie La la land. His favorite game is Wordle.
The Bee began in 1925 and is open to students through eighth grade.