Indian American Ananya Vinay Wins $40,000 in Spelling Bee Contest

While participants from 50 US states, US territories from Puerto Rico to Guam, and several countries, from Jamaica to Japan stumbled in the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest, Indian American Ananya Vinay of Fresno bagged the prestigious award with a cash prize of $40,000.

What was the word that won Ananya $40,000 in Spelling bee?

After twelve hours of a tough fight, with other spellings, the last word that elevated her into this milestone was 'marocain', a dress fabric made of warp of silk or rayon and a filling of other yarns.

Where was the Spelling Bee contest held?

The 25-word championship round of the spelling bee was conducted at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in suburban Washington.

What did Ananya have to tell about her victory in Spelling Bee contest?

"It's like a dream come true. I am so happy right now," she told ESPN after the competition.

What was the age group of participants in Spelling Bee?

The age group of participants in the Spell Bee contest ranged from 6 to 15 from early spelling bees involving more than 11 million youths.

What were the tough words that participants struggled to spell in 90th National Spelling Bee?

Some of the tough words that participants struggled to spell in 90th National Spelling Bee were:

• Corriedale
• Toreutics
• Cleidoic
• Panettone
• Catafalque
• Outarde
• Chryselephantine

What did the other Spelling Bee competitors had to say?

"What?!" exclaimed Maggie Sheridan, 13, from Mansfield, Ohio, throwing her hands up in disbelief when she learned she correctly spelled whirlicote, a type of luxurious carriage, with one second to spare. However, she was out by the word saccharomycete, a yeast fungus, and fell out of the competition.

Marlene Schaff, 14, misspelled cleidoic, that means to be enclosed in a relatively impervious shell, like an egg.

"I'm disappointed because I was debating between two spellings," said Schaff of Lake Forest, Illinois.