Words with Foes: Spelling Bee Contestants Put on Their Game Faces

Contestants in the 86th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee struggle to outspell their rivals.

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The nation’s top spellers show the range of human emotion as they squared off at the 86th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md.. Contestants smiled and struggled as they spelled words like “philhellenism” and “punctilio” to move on to the next round. Thirteen-year-old Arvind Mahankali claimed the top prize by spelling “knaidel” (a soup dumpling) correctly. The New York native won $30,000 and bragging rights for life.

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