If you ever took part in spelling bees as a kid, you know the officials can throw out some seriously crazy words for you to spell.
Like, have you even heard of “koinonia”?
That’s the golden word that got 14-year-old Karthik Nemmani the victory at the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland, on Thursday.
It was a dramatic finish as far as spelling bees go, after Nemmani’s fellow competitor – a 12-year-old named Naysa Modi – misspelled the word “Bewusstseinslage” in the first championship round, reports Time.
Don’t worry, I knew fokol about what “Bewusstseinslage” meant, either. Something about being devoid of sensory components, according to Merriam-Webster.
Anyway, per the report:
[Nemmani] had to spell two words correctly to seal the title, which he did with ease, and the lanky, soft-spoken Texan stepped back and smiled as he was showered with confetti. His winning word was “koinonia,” which means Christian fellowship or communion.
We live and we learn.
Here are the highlights from the spelling bee, including the moment Nemmani made his glorious win:
So adorably nerdy, the way Nemmani awkwardly basks in his big win.
Poor Modi, though. At least she tried to spell her word, but “Bewusstseinslage” is such a bloody tongue-twister.
Surprisingly, Nemmani – who as the 14th consecutive Indian-American champion walks with a big ol’ trophy and over R500 000 in cash and prizes – said that “there were eight or nine words during the prime-time finals he didn’t know — a rare admission for a Scripps champion”.
What’s more, Nemmani didn’t even win his regional or county spelling bees, only managing to get into this competition through a wild-card program that was instituted this year.
Now look – the guy’s the spelling champ of the entire USA.
That’s #Goals right there.
[source:time]
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