The 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee took place between May 26–28, 2009 in Washington, D.C.[2] There were a record 293 spellers this year (the all-time record until the Bee's rules greatly expanded the field in 2018).

41 spellers made it to the final day of competition on Thursday.

[3] This was Kavya's fourth appearance in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Six of the top ten spellers, including the winner, were Indo-American.

The standings were as follows:[4] The Championship Finals aired live on ABC from 8:00 PM to shortly after 10:00 p.m. EDT and were hosted by Tom Bergeron.