New Hampshire's Emma Ciereszynski shrugged her shoulders and told the judges “thank you very much” after she misspelled the word “ridotto” and the dreaded bell dinged Thursday night, ending her remarkable run to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“I just didn't know it,” Ciereszynski told the New Hampshire Union Leader after her first, and last, word of the final round. “I'd never heard it before.”

Ciereszynski charmed the audience and judges with her expressive personality when she competed in the state bee in March, held for the first time on stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. The state spelling bee is sponsored by the Union Leader.

The bee, televised live on ESPN from National Harbor, Md., was won by Snigdha Nandipati of San Diego, who correctly spelled “guetapens.”

Ciereszynski, 14, incorrectly spelled “ridotto,” which describes a public ball or dance often held in masquerade, as “R-E-D-A-T-T-O.

As Ciereszynski, who tied for eighth place, made her way toward her parents, ESPN announcers incorrectly said she is the only speller from New Hampshire ever to make the final round. In 2005, Elicia Chamberlin of Wilton tied for fifth place. New Hampshire has never had a winner, according to the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, but Ciereszynski said she is very happy with her performance.

When she left the stage, she was all smiles. Other competitors openly wept after being eliminated.

“I think tying for eighth, from my first year here, is pretty good,” she said.

During the semifinal round, which was also televised live on ESPN2 Thursday morning, Ciereszynski exuded confidence and would frequently banter and joke with the Bee's official word pronouncer, Jacques Bailly.

Before being given her second word, she told Bailly, “So, we meet again.”

When he asked her to spell “bombycine,” she replied “Yay!”

Typically, a speller asks Bailly for a definition of a word they're given. Ciereszynski, though, asked, “Does that mean of or relating to silkworms?”

He blinked at her momentarily before responding, “Um, yes, that's precisely what that means.”

She then quickly rattled off the correct spelling, with commentator Paul Loeffler saying, “No poker face for her — so relieved to get a word that she knew.”

Ciereszynski then correctly spelled “ouabain” — after jokingly telling Bailly “I think I know this” — to clinch her place in the final. The word has French origins, which Ciereszynski had said was her weakness after winning the state bee, which is cosponsored by the New Hampshire Elks Association.

The daughter of Edward and Donna Ciereszynski, Emma has competed in the state spelling bee since fourth grade. This was the last year she was eligible to compete.