Snigdha Nandipati of Francis Parker School correctly spelled guetapens, meaning an ambush, snare or trap, as the final word.
"I knew it," Snigdha told ESPN. "I'd seen it before. I just wanted to ask everything I could before I started to spell it." Snigdha told ESPN. Snigdha called her victory, "a miracle."
Earlier in the day, the youngest contestant in National Spelling Bee history was eliminated after misspelling "ingluvies."
Lori Anne Madison, a 6-year-old from Lake Ridge, Va., said she knew the word she misspelled, but was too tired and stressed out to concentrate when she stepped to the microphone.
"I was just stressed. It was a really, really long wait," Lori Anne said. "Overall, it was just boring. Really boring! Really boring!"
If she had gotten one more word correct on a computer test, she would have achieved a qualifying score for the semifinals.
There were nine spellers who survived to the final round, including Nicholas Rushlow of Pickerington, Ohio, who's been in the bee every year since 2008. It was his first appearance at the finals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
