"A coin collector and Sherlock Holmes fan, Snigdha aced the word 'guetapens'..."

"...  French-derived word that means an ambush or a trap, to outlast eight other finalists and claim the trophy along with more than $40,000 in cash and prizes."

"I knew it. I'd seen it before," Snigdha, a semifinalist last year, said of the winning word. "I just wanted to ask everything I could before I started spelling."

There was no jumping for joy, at least not right away. The announcer didn't proclaim Snigdha the champion, so she stood awkwardly near the microphone for a few seconds before confetti started to fly. [Video here.]

I had Snigda picked out as the most likely winner by the beginning of the finals. She seemed to know the words (and the word components) and wasn't just making very educated guesses.

IN THE COMMENTS: Chuck said: "Ann...You misspelled 'Snigdha.'" Oh, yeah? Maybe I meant to do that.