Big congratulations to 14-year-old Snigdha Nadipati, spelling bee champ. On Thursday, the eighth grader from San Diego beat out eight other finalists to win the 85th Scripps National Spelling Bee: 'Guetapens' doesn't catch National Spelling Bee champ off guard.
The winning word: "guetapens," a French-derived word that means an ambush, snare or trap. A challenging word for mere mortals like you and me, but not a problem for young Snigdha. She had it covered:
After she spelled the word, she looked from side to side, as if unsure her accomplishment was real. Oddly, she was not immediately announced as the winner. Applause built slowly, and a few pieces of confetti trickled out before showering her. Then her 10-year-old brother ran onstage and embraced her, and she beamed.By the way, if you're keeping score, Snigdha is the fifth consecutive Indian American winner and the tenth in the last 14 years. Indian Americans have this spelling bee on lock! More here: Indian-American Snigdha Nandipati is Spelling Bee champ.
"I knew it. I'd seen it before," Snigdha said of the winning word. "I just wanted to ask everything I could before I started spelling."
UPDATE: "OH SORRY I'M LOOKING AT THE WRONG GIRL!" Well, that's embarrassing. Here's what happens when two Desi girls are standing next to each other at the spelling bee: Samantha Steele: "Oh sorry I'm looking at the wrong girl.