past winners of the bee
“In a spelling bee, it’s you versus the dictionary.” -- Ned Andrews, Spelling Bee Champion of 1994
1980
1981
Word: Elucubrate
Word: Sarcophagus
Root: Latin
Etymology: From clarus, meaning
“clear” and oscuro, meaning
“obscure”
Root: Latin and Greek
Etymology: From sarx,
meaning “flesh” and phagein,
meaning “to eat”
Winner: Jacques Bailly
Winner: Paige Kimble
Root: From El Paso, Texas
Current: Became Assistant
Director of the Spelling Bee in
1991. In 1998, she was
promoted to Director of the
National Spelling Bee, a
position she still holds.
Root: From Denver, Colorado.
Current: In 1991, he was hired as
the Associate Pronouncer of the
Spelling Bee. He was promoted to
Official Pronouncer in 2003.
1996
Word: Vivisepulture
Image of Nupur Lala by Ron Edmonds, 1999.
Courtesy, AP Images.
Root: Latin
Etymology: From vivus, meaning
“alive” and sepulture, mean ???+?q??????t()]????
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