Indian-American 8th-grader Harini Logan crowned 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion

Houston, June 3

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Harini Logan, a 14-year-old Indian-American eighth-grader from Texas, spelled 21 words correctly to win the prestigious 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee, beating Vikram Raju in a marathon, first-of-its-kind spell-off, a format that tested the contestants on how many words they could correctly spell within 90 seconds.

Logan, who took home the USD 50,000 cash prize and Scripps Cup trophy on top of awards from Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica, spelled 21 out of 26 words correctly, while Raju, a 12-year-old boy from Denver, got 15 out of 19 words right.

The final two competitors had trouble deciphering their words between rounds 13 and 18. At that point, judges opted to institute the first spell-off, 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible correctly.

Logan nearly did not advance past the word meaning round on Thursday after her answer for “pullulation” was rejected.

“I was like ‘Wow, I’m out. This is it,” Logan said after she was reinstated in the final round.

However, the judges conferred during a break and ruled that the answer she gave could be correct, since it could mean “to breed” or “to swarm.”

Head judge Mary Brooks explained the ruling and Logan, who only minutes earlier had learned of her reversed fortunes, returned to her seat on the stage, USA Today reported.

“There were a few minutes in between that were frantic,” Logan was quoted as saying.

“Our 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion Speller 231 Harini Logan draws inspiration from VP @KamalaHarris. After tonight, Harini is inspiring a new generation of spellers everywhere. She says it takes a village to build up a speller. Her’s is happy tonight,” Scripps National Spelling Bee said in a tweet.

Our 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion #Speller231 Harini Logan draws inspiration from VP @KamalaHarris. After tonight, Harini is inspiring a new generation of spellers everywhere. She says it takes a village to build up a speller. Hers is happy tonight. 🐝 #spellingbee pic.twitter.com/m3RNiM2qvl

— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) June 3, 2022

“Just so surreal, it’s my fourth time at the Bee. This is such a dream, this is my fourth bee and I’m just so overwhelmed,” said Logan on stage holding the trophy.

Of the first-ever spell-off, she said: “At first I was a little uneasy and I decided to take it in stride. I just had to take a deep breath and tell myself to go out there and do my best and whatever happens, happens.”

The Spelling Bee features elementary and middle school students spelling words that would cause most adults to stumble. The National Spelling Bee was launched in 1925.

#Speller231 Harini Logan’s final winning word:
moorhen
part of speech: noun
def: the female of the red grouse.
Language of origin: This word is originally English.
Sentence: The hunter took aim at the moorhen after the beaters had flushed it from the heather.

— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) June 3, 2022

“Harini Logan’s final winning word: moorhen. Part of speech: noun. Def: the female of the red grouse. Language of origin: This word is originally English. Sentence: The hunter took aim at the moorhen after the beaters had flushed it from the heather,” Scripps National Spelling Bee said in a tweet.