WASHINGTON -- A California eighth-grader burst into tears and said he feels "pure happiness" after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

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Fact Sheet: National Spelling Bee

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Anurag Kashyap, 13, won in the 19th round by correctly spelling the word appoggiatura, a musical term.

He beat out 272 other spellers to take home some $30,000 in prizes.

Anurag is from Poway, Calif., and was sponsored by The San Diego Union-Tribune. He came in 47th in last year's competition.

His bio lists his favorite subject as science.

A missed letter here and an extra letter there had helped to winnow a field of 273 down to fewer than three dozen by Thursday afternoon.

There were high-fives and sighs of relief as successful spellers lived to tackle another word that most Americans have never heard of, let alone spelled.

One contestant anguished over the word "mycetophagous" for more than two minutes before spelling it correctly. It means feeding on fungi.

She then buried her face in her hands after returning to her seat.

Those who made a mistake stood and listened to the correct spelling of the word.

Some nodded their heads as they realized where they went wrong, before they headed off the stage.

The spelling bee began Wednesday with 273 hopefuls, including 14 from foreign countries.

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This year, students are competing for $28,000 in cash, scholarships and bonds, plus a set of encyclopedias and other books from Encyclopedia Britannica.

The contestants ranged in age from 9 to 14. They survived local competitions in their various states to qualify for the prestigious national competition.

There were 146 boys and 127 girls competing for the national title.

Most of the spellers, 173, attend public schools. Of the 100 who don't, 38 go to private schools, 34 are home-schooled, 25 attend parochial schools and three attend charter schools.

There are four spellers who made their fourth trip to the national spelling bee.

Thirteen spellers made their third appearance and 52 are returning for a second trip.

Last year's spelling champ, David Tidmarsh, of South Bend, Ind., snagged the title with "autochthonous," meaning indigenous. He took home $12,000, an engraved cup, and other prizes.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and longest running educational promotion.

"Each year we gather in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the academic achievements of the world's top young spellers," said Paige P. Kimble, director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and 1981 national spelling champion. "While we're here to select a national spelling champion, it's important to recognize that all of the 273 young scholars who are assembled in Washington this week have already distinguished themselves as exceptional spellers. Qualifying to compete in the national competition is a significant accomplishment in its own right."

The purpose of the National Spelling Bee is to help students improve spelling, increase vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all of their lives.