The Winner of the 2008 Spelling Bee

Congratulations to 13-year-old Sameer Mishra, an eighth grader from West Lafayette, Indiana who spelled guerdon—a word for "something that one has earned or gained : a reward, recompense, requital"—to win the 81st Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee on Friday, May 30th, 2008. Way to go, Sameer, and congratulations to all contestants!

Check out the words that made Sameer a champion—sign up for a 14-day free trial of our Web site: Merriam-Webster Unabridged.