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The words that stumped National Spelling Bee competitors
By Dana Guthrie | May 30, 2014 | Updated: May 30, 2014 12:23pm
Photo By Mark Bowen/Scripps National SpelThe road to winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee is paved with many misspelled words. Here are the words that eliminated the spelling bee finalists and Houston's two representatives, plus the winning words spelled by this year's co-champions.
Houston representative Syamantak Payra of Friendswood
Word that stumped him: Circumforaneous
Definition: "Wandering from place to place"
Photo By Mark Bowen/Scripps National SpelHouston representative Shobha Dasari of Pearland
Word that stumped her: Helophyte
Definition: "A plant that grows in a marsh, partially submerged in water"
Photo By Nicole Narea/HearstNeha Konakalla, 13, of Cupertino, California
Word that stumped her: Taglioni
Definition: "An overcoat worn in the early 19th century"
Photo By Chuck Myers/McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceJacob Williamson of Cape Coral, Florida
Word that stumped him: Kabaragoya
Definition: "A large aquatic lizard of southeastern Asia"
Photo By Chuck Myers/McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceMary Horton of Orlando, Florida
Word that stumped her: Aetites
Definition: "A concretionary nodule of clay ironstone about the size of a walnut that the ancients believed an eagle takes to her nest to facilitate egg-laying."
Photo By Chuck Myers/McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceAlia Abiad of Chicago
Word that stumped her: Irbis
Definition: "Snow leopard"
Ashwin Veeramani, 13, of North Royalton, Ohio
Word that stumped him: Depayse
Definition: "Situated in unfamiliar surroundings; being out of one's element."
Photo By Evan Vucci/Associated PressWinner Ansun Sujoe, 13, of Fort Worth, Texas
Word that won: Feuilleton
Definition: "A part of a European newspaper or magazine devoted to material designed to entertain the general reader; a feature section"
Photo By Chuck Myers/McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceWinner Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, New York
Word that won: Stichomythia
Definition: "Dialogue, especially of altercation or dispute, delivered in alternating lines (as in classical Greek drama)"
For the first time in more than half a century, two spellers (one of them a Texan) took home the top prize in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, spelling 12 words correctly in a row.
For the 10 other finalists, however, the road to victory ended with a misplaced letter or a misinterpreted sound. Could you have lasted until the final showdown? Click through the slideshow to see.