Spelling bee controversy starts after Yiddish experts question winning word

Yiddish linguists have said that the winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee spelled the winning word wrong.

The National Spelling Bee got it wrong, too, they told the New York Times.

The winning word was 'knaidel,' a Yiddish word for a type of Jewish dumpling. Scholars at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, which has served as the authority on Yiddish, say the preferred historical spelling is 'kneydl,' the Telegraph reported.

The contest is based around Webster's Third New International Dictionary, rather than usage. The book is also what contestants use to study for the bee. Merriam-Webster, the publisher of the dictionary, defended the spelling the book uses as the most common variant of the word, which is based in Hebrew.

The problem lies in the translation of Hebrew to English, as they use different character sets. Yiddish has no native country and accordingly no official language authority, so users of the language have relied on organizations like YIVO for keeping the language's form.

Bee winner Arvind Mahankali, 13, will retain the crown. He has never seen or tasted a knaidel, but spelled it according to the official rule guide.

His seventh-grade teacher, Carol Lipton, has promised to bring him one in class Monday.