14-year-old Texas Boy Wins National Spelling Bee by Spelling ‘Koinonia’

Even though Karthik Nemmani didn’t win his regional spelling bee or even his county spelling bee, the 14-year-old Texan still claimed the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee title.

Nemmani, who qualified for the tournament via a wild-card program that was instituted this year, spelled his way to champion on the word “koinonia,” which means Christian fellowship or body of believers.

The top speller got his chance for victory after the runner-up, 12-year-old Naysa Modi, misspelled the word “bewusstseinslage” in the finals. Abhijay Kodali, 11, was the third-place finisher.

“She’s a really, really good speller. She deserved the trophy as much as I did,” Nemmani, who is the 14th consecutive Indian-American champion, said of Modi. “I got lucky.”

For his win, Nemmani will receive $40,000 from Scripps, a trophy, $2,500 more from Merriam-Webster, trips to New York City and L.A., and a pizza party for his school.

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Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”