I-n-a-p-p-e-t-e-n-c-e Spells Victory
WASHINGTON — Joanne Lagatta, a 13-year-old from Clintonville, Wis., won the 64th National Spelling Bee on Thursday, correctly spelling “inappetence” and “antipyretic” to end a 90-minute duel with her last competitor.
Lagatta defeated Maria Mathew, 11, of Sterling, Ill., who was eliminated with the mistaken spelling, “inappetance.”
“I was getting more and more nervous,” Lagatta said. “I just wanted to call it a tie.”
She tensely bit her lip when she spelled “antipyretic,” which means an agent that allays fever. She went to Mathew and shook her hand before accepting the trophy. Lagatta also won $5,000.
Lagatta correctly spelled “inappetence,” meaning a lack of desire for food or drink, which Mathew had misspelled. She began the 25th round by correctly spelling “anxiolytic,” which means a drug that relieves stress and worry.
A record 227 children, ages 10-15, participated in the annual event.
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