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This Word Stumped Fairfax County Teen Landing Her 2nd Place In National Spelling Bee

A 14-year-old Fairfax County girl took home $250,000 and second place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Charlotte Walsh

Charlotte Walsh

Photo Credit: E. M. Pio Roda/Scripps National Spelling Bee

Charlotte Walsh — a black belt in Tae Kwon Do from Merrifield — last year tied for 32nd and in 2019 tied for 51st.

The word that stumped her this year? Daviely: A Scottish-rooted word meaning listlessly.

This year's winner is 14-year-old Dev Shah, who correctly spelled "psammophile."

According to her bio on the Scripps website, Charlotte is homeschooled and wants to pursue astrophysics or neuroscience when she is older. 

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