69th Scripps National Spelling Bee
| 69th Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
 The Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C., hosted the Scripps National Spelling Bee. | |
| Date | May 29–30, 1996 |
| Location | Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | Wendy Guey |
| Age | 12 |
| Residence | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Sponsor | The Palm Beach Post |
| Sponsor location | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Winning word | vivisepulture |
| No. of contestants | 247[1] |
| Pronouncer | Alex Cameron |
| Preceded by | 68th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 70th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 69th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held at Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C., on May 29–30, 1996, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
Twelve-year-old Wendy Guey, from West Palm Beach, Florida, won the competition by correctly spelling the word "vivisepulture."[2][3] This was Guey's fourth Bee; her previous best was fourth place in the 1993 Bee. Second place went to 13-year-old Nikki Dowdy of Houston, Texas, who missed "cervicorn."[4]
There were 247 participants, 51% of them female, with about one-fourth coming from a private or parochial school, and 12 from a home-schooling environment.[1]
The Bee featured two spellers marking firsts for the competition: Amanda Burke of Gate City, Virginia, became the Bee's first ever five-year repeater, and Jimmy McCarthy of Land O'Lakes, Florida, was its first deaf competitor.[5]
References
- 1 2 Rose, Reta (May 1996). Scripps Howard national Spelling Bee Returns to the Nation's Capital, Scripps Howard News Service
- ↑ "Champions and Their Winning Words". Archived from the original on November 17, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- ↑ Girl wins national spelling bee on fourth try
- ↑ Yeager, Holly (31 May 1996). S.F. 14-year-old trips over "rickettsial' in spelling bee, San Francisco Examiner.
- ↑ "5-TIME SPELLING CHAMP TO TAKE IT EASY FOR A SPELL". Deseret News. May 29, 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2025.