Sidharth Chand of Pontiac, Mich., after misspelling a word in the final round. (Jewel Samad / AFP-Getty Images)
Andrew Traylor, 14, of Staunton, Va., tries to come up with the correct spelling of a word. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)
Kavya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kan., after winning the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington. She’s joined by her father, Mirle, and mother, Sandy, and younger sister Vanya. She took the title by spelling Laodicean, which means indifferent in religion or politics. She won more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
