List of Scripps National Spelling Bee champions
List of champions

List of Scripps National Spelling Bee champions

Section Title: List of champions
Table Section Text: None

Edition	Year	Competition-ending word ("winning word" unless otherwise indicated)	Winner	Sponsor	Sponsor's location	Notes

1st	1925	gladiolus	Frank Neuhauser	The Courier-Journal	Louisville, Kentucky

2nd	1926	cerise	Pauline Bell	The Courier-Journal	Louisville, Kentucky

3rd	1927	abrogate	Dean Lucas	Akron Beacon Journal	Akron, Ohio

4th	1928	knack	Betty Robinson	South Bend News-Times	South Bend, Indiana

5th	1929	luxuriance	Virginia Hogan	Omaha World-Herald	Omaha, Nebraska

6th	1930	fracas	Helen Jensen	The Des Moines Register and Tribune	Des Moines, Iowa

7th	1931	foulard	Ward Randall	White Hall Register-Republican	White Hall, Illinois

8th	1932	invulnerable	Dorothy Greenwald	The Des Moines Register and Tribune	Des Moines, Iowa

9th	1933	torsion	Alma Roach	Akron Beacon Journal	Akron, Ohio

10th	1934	brethren	Sarah Wilson	Portland Evening Express	Portland, Maine

11th	1935	intelligible	Clara Mohler	Akron Beacon Journal	Akron, Ohio

12th	1936	eczema	Jean Trowbridge	The Des Moines Register and Tribune	Des Moines, Iowa

13th	1937	promiscuous	Waneeta Beckley	The Courier-Journal	Louisville, Kentucky

14th	1938	sanitarium	Marian Richardson	The Louisville Times	Louisville, Kentucky

15th	1939	canonical	Elizabeth Ann Rice	Telegram & Gazette	Worcester, Massachusetts

16th	1940	therapy	Laurel Kuykendall	The Knoxville News-Sentinel	Knoxville, Tennessee

17th	1941	initials	Louis Edward Sissman	The Detroit News	Detroit, Michigan

18th	1942	sacrilegious	Richard Earnhart	El Paso Herald-Post	El Paso, Texas

19th	1946	semaphore	John McKinney	The Des Moines Register and Tribune	Des Moines, Iowa

20th	1947	chlorophyll	Mattie Lou Pollard	Atlanta Journal	Atlanta, Georgia

21st	1948	psychiatry	Jean Chappelear	Akron Beacon Journal	Akron, Ohio

22nd	1949	onerous	Kim Calvin	Canton Repository	Canton, Ohio

23rd	1950	meticulosity	Diana Reynard	Cleveland Press	Cleveland, Ohio

Colquitt Dean	Atlanta Journal	Atlanta, Georgia

24th	1951	insouciant	Irving Belz	Memphis Press Scimitar	Memphis, Tennessee

25th	1952	vignette	Doris Ann Hall	Winston-Salem Journal	Winston-Salem, North Carolina

26th	1953	soubrette	Elizabeth Hess	Arizona Republic	Phoenix, Arizona

27th	1954	transept	William Cashore	Norristown Times Herald	Norristown, Pennsylvania

28th	1955	crustaceology	Sandra Sloss	St. Louis Globe-Democrat	St. Louis, Missouri

29th	1956	condominium	Melody Sachko	Pittsburgh Press	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

30th	1957	schappe	Dana Bennett	Rocky Mountain News	Denver, Colorado

Sandra Owen	Canton Repository	Canton, Ohio

31st	1958	syllepsis	Jolitta Schlehuber	Topeka Daily Capital	Topeka, Kansas

32nd	1959	catamaran	Joel Montgomery	Rocky Mountain News	Denver, Colorado

33rd	1960	eudaemonic	Henry Feldman	The Knoxville News-Sentinel	Knoxville, Tennessee

34th	1961	smaragdine	John Capehart	Tulsa Tribune	Tulsa, Oklahoma

35th	1962	esquamulose	Nettie Crawford	El Paso Herald-Post	El Paso, Texas

Michael Day	St. Louis Globe-Democrat	St. Louis, Missouri

36th	1963	equipage	Glen Van Slyke III	The Knoxville News-Sentinel	Knoxville, Tennessee

37th	1964	sycophant	William Kerek	Akron Beacon Journal	Akron, Ohio

38th	1965	eczema	Michael Kerpan Jr.	Tulsa Tribune	Tulsa, Oklahoma

39th	1966	ratoon	Robert A. Wake	Houston Chronicle	Houston, Texas

40th	1967	chihuahua	Jennifer Reinke	The Omaha World-Herald	Omaha, Nebraska

41st	1968	abalone	Robert L. Walters	The Topeka Daily Capital	Topeka, Kansas

42nd	1969	interlocutory	Susan Yoachum	Dallas Morning News	Dallas, Texas

43rd	1970	croissant	Libby Childress	Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel	Winston-Salem, North Carolina

44th	1971	shalloon	Jonathan Knisely	Philadelphia Bulletin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

45th	1972	macerate	Robin Kral	Lubbock Avalanche-Journal	Lubbock, Texas

46th	1973	vouchsafe	Barrie Trinkle	Fort Worth Press	Fort Worth, Texas

47th	1974	hydrophyte	Julie Ann Junkin	Birmingham Post-Herald	Birmingham, Alabama

48th	1975	incisor	Hugh Tosteson García	San Juan Star	San Juan, PR

49th	1976	narcolepsy	Tim Kneale	Syracuse Herald-Journal	Syracuse, New York

50th	1977	cambist	John Paola	The Pittsburgh Press	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

51st	1978	deification	Peg McCarthy	The Topeka Capital-Journal	Topeka, Kansas

52nd	1979	maculature	Katie Kerwin	Rocky Mountain News	Denver, Colorado

53rd	1980	elucubrate	Jacques Bailly	Rocky Mountain News	Denver, Colorado

54th	1981	sarcophagus	Paige Pipkin	El Paso Herald-Post	El Paso, Texas

55th	1982	psoriasis	Molly Dieveney	Rocky Mountain News	Denver, Colorado

56th	1983	Purim	Blake Giddens	El Paso Herald-Post	El Paso, Texas

57th	1984	luge	Daniel Greenblatt	Loudoun Times-Mirror	Leesburg, Virginia

58th	1985	milieu	Balu Natarajan	Chicago Tribune	Chicago, Illinois

59th	1986	odontalgia	Jon Pennington	The Patriot News	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

60th	1987	staphylococci	Stephanie Petit	The Pittsburgh Press	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

61st	1988	elegiacal	Rageshree Ramachandran	The Sacramento Bee	Sacramento, California

62nd	1989	spoliator	Scott Isaacs	Rocky Mountain News	Denver, Colorado

63rd	1990	fibranne	Amy Marie Dimak	The Seattle Times	Seattle, Washington

64th	1991	antipyretic	Joanne Lagatta	Wisconsin State Journal	Clintonville, Wisconsin

65th	1992	lyceum	Amanda Goad	The Richmond News Leader	Richmond, Virginia

66th	1993	kamikaze	Geoff Hooper	The Commercial Appeal	Memphis, Tennessee

67th	1994	antediluvian	Ned G. Andrews	The Knoxville News-Sentinel	Knoxville, Tennessee

68th	1995	xanthosis	Justin Tyler Carroll	The Commercial Appeal	Memphis, Tennessee

69th	1996	vivisepulture	Wendy Guey	The Palm Beach Post	West Palm Beach, Florida

70th	1997	euonym	Rebecca Sealfon	New York Daily News	New York City

71st	1998	chiaroscurist	Jody-Anne Maxwell	Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers	Kingston, Jamaica

72nd	1999	logorrhea	Nupur Lala	The Tampa Tribune	Tampa, Florida

73rd	2000	demarche	George Thampy	St. Louis Post-Dispatch	St. Louis, Missouri

74th	2001	succedaneum	Sean Conley	Aitkin Independent Age	Anoka, Minnesota

75th	2002	prospicience	Pratyush Buddiga	Rocky Mountain News	Denver, Colorado

76th	2003	pococurante	Sai Gunturi	Dallas Morning News	Dallas, Texas

77th	2004	autochthonous	David Tidmarsh	South Bend Tribune	South Bend, Indiana

78th	2005	appoggiatura	Anurag Kashyap	San Diego Union-Tribune	San Diego, California

79th	2006	Ursprache	Kerry Close	Asbury Park Press/Home News Tribune	Spring Lake, New Jersey

80th	2007	serrefine	Evan O'Dorney	Contra Costa Times	Walnut Creek, California

81st	2008	guerdon	Sameer Mishra	Journal & Courier	West Lafayette, Indiana

82nd	2009	Laodicean	Kavya Shivashankar	The Olathe News	Olathe, Kansas

83rd	2010	stromuhr	Anamika Veeramani	The Plain Dealer	Cleveland, Ohio

84th	2011	cymotrichous	Sukanya Roy	Times Leader	Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

85th	2012	guetapens	Snigdha Nandipati	U-T San Diego	San Diego, California

86th	2013	knaidel	Arvind Mahankali	New York Daily News	New York City

87th	2014	stichomythia	Sriram J. Hathwar	Corning Rotary Club	Corning, New York

feuilleton	Ansun Sujoe	Texas Christian University	Fort Worth, Texas

88th	2015	scherenschnitte	Vanya Shivashankar	The Olathe News	Olathe, Kansas

nunatak	Gokul Venkatachalam	St. Louis Post-Dispatch	St. Louis, Missouri

89th	2016	Feldenkrais	Jairam Hathwar	Corning Rotary Club	Corning, New York

gesellschaft	Nihar Saireddy Janga	Houston Public Media	Austin, Texas

90th	2017	marocain	Ananya Vinay	The Fresno Bee	Fresno, California

91st	2018	koinonia	Karthik Nemmani	Scoggins Middle School (RSVBee wild card)	McKinney, Texas

Sentence(s)

Kavya Shivashankar was the winner in 2009.

final_sentence: Kavya Shivashankar was the winner in 2009.