Eighth-grader Dev Shah became this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee champion after 15 rounds in the finals. Throughout the week, the Largo, Florida, 14-year-old outspelled 228 other students from around the country and world.
He spoke with Scripps News' "Morning Rush" hosts Rob Nelson and Lindsay Tuchman about his method for making it to the end.
"I would just take it one round at a time and not worry about too much in the future," he said. As for how he studied, Dev said, "I would just work with my dad. He would just quiz me on words I'd miss. And my coach, Scott Remer, he would quiz me roots and make sure if I get a word I don't know, I could guess it right. And that worked for one of my words."
The winning word was "psammophile," which is an organism that thrives in sandy areas.
Dev said he'll probably put the $50,000 prize money toward college.
This was Dev's third year competing in the bee. While this was the last year he could qualify, based on his age, he said he will still keep in touch with his friends he has made at the bee along the way.
Scripps News is a subsidiary of the E.W. Scripps Company, which also runs the bee on a not-for-profit basis.
