Spelling Bee Winner Conquers 'German Curse'

NPR

Published May 31, 2013 at 8:34 AM EDT

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. A 13-year-old from Queens won the Scripps National Spelling Bee last night. He correctly spelled a Yiddish word of German origin meaning dumpling.

(SOUNDBITE OF SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE)

ARVIND MAHANKALI: Knaidel. K-N-A-I-D-E-L. Knaidel.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: You are correct.

MONTAGNE: Arvind Mahankali had stumbled on German words in previous years. This year, he said, the German curse has turned into in a German blessing. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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