82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee
| 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
![]() President Barack Obama greets Kavya Shivashankar, left, the 2009 Scripps Spelling Bee winner, and her family in the Oval Office, June 3, 2010.  | |
| Date | May 26–29, 2009 | 
| Location | Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, D.C. | 
| Winner | Kavya Shivashankar | 
| Age | 13 | 
| Residence | Olathe, Kansas | 
| Sponsor | The Olathe News | 
| Sponsor location | Olathe, Kansas | 
| Winning word | Laodicean | 
| No. of contestants | 293[1] | 
| Pronouncer | Jacques Bailly | 
| Preceded by | 81st Scripps National Spelling Bee | 
| Followed by | 83rd Scripps National Spelling Bee | 
The 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee took place between May 26–28, 2009 in Washington, D.C.[2]
Competition
There were a record 293 spellers this year (the all-time record until the Bee's rules greatly expanded the field in 2018). 41 spellers made it to the final day of competition on Thursday.[1]
The winner was Kavya Shivashankar.[2] Her winning word was Laodicean.[2] She was sponsored by The Olathe News.[2] She won $35,000 in cash and more than $5,000 in prizes. The runners-up were Aishwarya Pastapur, who misspelled menhir, and Tim Ruiter, who misspelled Maecenas.[3] This was Kavya's fourth appearance in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Six of the top ten spellers, including the winner, were Indo-American.
The standings were as follows:[4]
- 1. Kavya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas.
 - 2. (tie) Tim A. Ruiter of Centreville, Virginia.
 - 2. (tie) Aishwarya Eshwar Pastapur of Springfield, Illinois.
 - 4. Kyle M. Mou of Peoria, Illinois.
 - 5. (tie) Anamika Veeramani of North Royalton, Ohio
 - 5. (tie) Kennyi Kwaku Aouad of Terre Haute, Indiana.
 - 5. (tie) Ramya Auroprem of San Jose, California.
 - 8. (tie) Neetu Chandak of Seneca Falls, New York.
 - 8. (tie) Sidharth Chand of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
 - 8. (tie) Serena Skye Laine-Lobsinger of West Palm Beach, Florida.
 - 11. Tussah Heera Adi of Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
TV coverage
The Championship Finals aired live on ABC from 8:00 PM to shortly after 10:00 p.m. EDT and were hosted by Tom Bergeron.
Word list championship round
- avalement
 - omphaloskepsis
 - pogonip
 - deipnosophist
 - scilicet
 - hydrargyrum
 - Reykjavík
 - herniorrhaphy
 - ophelimity
 - Anasazi
 - psittacosis
 - geusioleptic
 - conchyliated
 - avoirdupois
 - tagliatelle
 - gyascutus
 - blancmange
 - apodyterium
 - derriengue
 - simnel
 - passacaglia
 - axolotl
 - plaidoyer
 - goombay
 - hypallage
 - baignoire
 - arrhostia
 - byssinosis
 - iliopsoas
 - oeillade
 - xebec
 - grisaille
 - huisache
 - Neufchâtel
 - cretonne
 - amarevole
 - becquerel
 - Caerphilly
 - palatschinken
 - ecossaise
 - fackeltanz
 - jacqueminot
 - schizaffin
 - wisent
 - diacoele
 - reredos
 - antonomasia
 - bouquiniste
 - oriflamme
 - guayabera
 - isagoge
 - sophrosyne
 - menhir
 - phoresy
 - Maecenas
 - Laodicean
 
See also
References
- ^ a b (27 May 2009). 41 spellers make semifinals of national bee, NBC (Associated Press)
 - ^ a b c d "13-year-old Kansan wins National Spelling Bee". Associated Press. May 28, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2009.
 - ^ Summary of Round 15
 - ^ Final Rankings
 
