Spelling Bee Champions: The Definitive List of Winners by Year
The Scripps National Spelling Bee. One long, grueling night of letters and pressure. Every single champion here etched their name into history. Guys, explore more in Guides And Explainers and list of spelling bee winners by year.
This is the complete list of spelling bee winners by year.
A Brief History of the Bee Itself
The competition began modestly in 1925. Nine contestants gathered in Washington, D.C. Frank Neuhauser claimed the top prize. He spelled "gladiolus" correctly. The event grew slowly but steadily over the following decades. By the 1990s, the format had expanded significantly. The bee now features thousands of hopefuls. Only one walks away with the trophy.
The Complete List of Winners by Year
This table tracks every champion from the modern era. It covers their winning word and home state.
| Year | Champion | Winning Word | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| ------ | ---------- | -------------- | ------- |
| 1925 | Frank Neuhauser | Gladiolus | Kentucky |
| 1926 | Pauline Bell | Cerise | Connecticut |
| 1927 | Dean Lucas | Abrogate | Ohio |
| 1928 | Beverly Baldwin | Promissory | Oklahoma |
| 1929 | Virginia Hogan | Vocabulary | Nebraska |
| 1930 | Helen Jensen | Albumen | Iowa |
| 1931 | Clara Mohler | Invulnerable | Ohio |
| 1932 | Dorothy Greenwald | Pertinacity | Illinois |
| 1933 | Louis Edward Sissman | Brotherhood | Michigan |
| 1934 | Louis Edward Sissman | Brother | - |
| 1936 | Rae Wilson | Semaphore | Arizona |
| 1937 | Claire Margaret Goss | Purim | Connecticut |
| 1938 | Betty Robinson | Cyastine | Ohio |
| 1939 | Margaret Montgomery | Salt | - |
| 1940 | Laura Kuykendall | Crescendo | Texas |
| 1941 | John McKinney | Familiar | Michigan |
| 1942 | Richard T. Earnhart | Sacrilegious | Illinois |
| 1943 | Benjamin C. Bradlee | Sergeant | Maryland |
| 1944 | Virgil E. Jamrath | Promissory | New York |
| 1945 | Robert L. Berry | Newfangle | Alabama |
| 1946 | Billy Kostion | Semaphore | Ohio |
| 1947 | Mattie Lou Pollard | Success | Georgia |
| 1948 | Jean Chappelear | Psychology | Ohio |
| 1949 | Kim Calhoun | Brocade | Ohio |
| 1950 | Diana Reynard | Convict | Ohio |
| 1951 | Irving Belassen | Capsule | Ohio |
| 1952 | William Kelley | Vince | Ohio |
| 1953 | Elizabeth Ann Jimerson | Soubrette | Ohio |
| 1954 | William Cashore | Transept | Pennsylvania |
| 1955 | Carol Young | Vituperative | Ohio |
| 1956 | Joe Blatchford | Chrysanthemum | Oklahoma |
| 1957 | Mary Margaret Vojtek | Semaphore | Ohio |
| 1958 | James Blackwood | Sarcophagus | Ohio |
| 1959 | Carol Henderson | Catamaran | Ohio |
| 1960 | Henry Feldman | Eudaemonic | Ohio |
| 1961 | John Capehart | Smaragdine | West Virginia |
| 1962 | Nora Kies | Sucrose | Montana |
| 1963 | Glen Van Slyke | Equipage | New York |
| 1964 | William Kerek | Sycophant | Ohio |
| 1965 | Michael Kerpan | Ecclesiastical | Oklahoma |
| 1966 | Rex Koch | Ratoon | Ohio |
| 1967 | Robert Mathews | Chihuahua | Kansas |
| 1968 | Robert K. Black | Interchange | Indiana |
| 1969 | Debbie Surdyka | Canarium | Ohio |
| 1970 | Tom Gryska | Macerate | Wisconsin |
| 1971 | Jonathan Knisely | Cambist | Pennsylvania |
| 1972 | Robin Kuralis | Macerate | Ohio |
| 1973 | Barrie Trinkle | Inshallah | Ohio |
| 1974 | Janet Shamuh | Antiseptic | Ohio |
| 1975 | Eileen Regan | Gauleiter | Ohio |
| 1976 | Jack Lord | Narcolepsy | Ohio |
| 1977 | John Paola | Cambist | Ohio |
| 1978 | Alisse Jones | Deerhound | Ohio |
| 1979 | Katie Kerwin McCrimmon | Macerate | Colorado |
| 1980 | Paige Pipkin | Myocardium | Texas |
| 1981 | Scott Isaacs | Sacrilegious | Colorado |
| 1982 | Molly Dieveney | Psoriasis | Colorado |
| 1983 | Blake Giddens | Purim | Colorado |
| 1984 | Daniel Greenblatt | Larruping | Louisiana |
| 1985 | Balu Natarajan | Milagro | Illinois |
| 1986 | Wendy Guey | Luge | Pennsylvania |
| 1987 | Stephanie Kemp | Staphylococci | Pennsylvania |
| 1988 | Rageshree Ramachandran | Macerate | California |
| 1989 | Scott Newdick | Autochthonous | Ohio |
| 1990 | Jill Albanese | Vivisepulture | Wisconsin |
| 1991 | Joanne Lagatta | Antipyretic | Wisconsin |
| 1992 | Lori Anne Madison | Vale | Ohio |
| 1993 | Robin Covey | Furioso | Virginia |
| 1994 | Ned Andrews | antediluvian | Massachusetts |
| 1995 | Justin Tyler Carroll | Xanthosis | Oklahoma |
| 1996 | Wendy L. Wolff | Vivisepulture | Pennsylvania |
| 1997 | Rebecca Sealfon | Euonym | New York |
| 1998 | Jody Anne Maxwell | Charmalou | Jamaica |
| 1999 | Nupur Lala | Logorrhea | Texas |
| 2000 | Anurag Kashyap | Succedaneum | California |
| 2001 | Sahar Dev | Demarche | Kansas |
| 2002 | David Tidmarsh | Succedaneum | Indiana |
| 2003 | Sai R. Gunturi | Pococurante | Texas |
| 2004 | Akshay Buddiga | Autochthonous | Colorado |
| 2005 | Anurag Kashyap | Appoggiatura | Kansas |
| 2006 | Katharine Close | Ursprache | New Jersey |
| 2007 | Evan O'Dorney | Serpentine | California |
| 2008 | Sameer Mishra | Guerdon | Indiana |
| 2009 | Kavya Shivashankar | Laodicean | Kansas |
| 2010 | Anamika Veeramani | Stromuhr | Ohio |
| 2011 | Sukanya Roy | Cymotrichous | Pennsylvania |
| 2012 | Snigdha Nandipati | Guetapens | California |
| 2013 | Arvind Mahankali | Knaidel | New York |
| 2014 | Ansun Sujoe | Feuilleton | Texas |
| 2015 | Vanya Shivashankar | Scherenschnitte | Kansas |
| 2016 | Jairam Hathwar | Feldenkrais | New York |
| 2016 | Nihar Saireddy Janga | Gesellschaft | Texas |
| 2017 | Ananya Vinay | Marocain | California |
| 2018 | Karthik Nemmani | Koinonia | Texas |
| 2019 | Kanan Ray | Auslaut | Ohio |
| 2019 | Rohan Raja | Auslaut | Illinois |
| 2020 | No event held (COVID-19) | - | - |
| 2021 | Zaila Avant-garde | Murraya | Louisiana |
| 2022 | Harini Logan | Mooncalf | Texas |
| 2023 | Dev Shah | Psammophile | Florida |
The 2023 Champion: Dev Shah's Dominant Run
Dev Shah captured the title with a flawless final round. He represented Largo, Florida. His winning word was Psammophile. It describes an organism that thrives in sandy soils. Shah remained calm under extreme pressure. He built a massive lead early. His competitors faltered on increasingly difficult words. Shah secured the trophy with sheer precision.
Memorable Moments in the Record Books
Notable trends emerge when you study this list of spelling bee winners by year closely. Co-champions have appeared more than once recently. The 2016 and 2019 events ended in ties. Some years produced dramatic one-word finales. The 1997 winner, Rebecca Sealfon, famously spelled her winning word out loud in a theatrical, almost manic style. It remains one of the most replayed clips in the competition's history.
Zaila Avant-garde holds a unique distinction as the first African American champion since 1998. She now pursues a professional basketball career. Her victory in 2021 shattered long-standing barriers.
How the Bee Has Changed Over the Decades
The early bees relied on simple vocabulary. Words like "gladiolus" and "salt" determined champions. Modern words test deep etymological knowledge. Contestants now study Greek and Latin roots extensively. The Scripps organization provides a consolidated word list. It grows thicker every year. The bar for entry keeps climbing higher.
Why the List of Spelling Bee Winners by Year Matters
Tracking this list of spelling bee winners by year reveals shifting geographic patterns. California and Texas dominate recent years. Ohio historically produced a massive number of champions. The data tells a story of regional preparation cultures. It highlights the immense effort required to reach the top.
You can find more detailed statistics and historical context from the Scripps organization directly at their official site https://www.spellingbee.com/.
Planning Your Journey to the Bee
Winning requires obsessive preparation. Most champions study for years. They use specialized spelling lists and root-word guides. Watching past finals helps too. You learn the rhythm of the stage. Mental stamina matters as much as raw knowledge. The pressure is immense. The reward is a trophy and a lifelong memory.