Spelling Bee Winning Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: gladiolus

This was the first national spelling bee and it consisted of nine spellers. The spelling bee was formed by the "Courier-Journal" in Louisville, Kentucky, and the first two winners in the first two years were from Louisville. In 1942 the E.W. Scripps Company acquired rights to it, hence the name "Scripps National Spelling Bee."

Answer: knack

This was the eighth national spelling bee. It was the second time in three years the winner hailed from Des Moines, Iowa. She was sponsored by the "Des Moines Register & Tribune."

Answer: eczema

The winner of the spelling bee that year hailed from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was sponsored by the "Tulsa Tribune."

Answer: staphylococci

This was the second year in a row the winner of the spelling bee hailed from Pennsylvania. The 1987 winner was from Pittsburgh, and the 1986 winner was from Harrisburg. The 1987 winner was sponsored by "The Pittsburgh Press."

Answer: xanthosis

This was the third year in a row that the winner was from Tennessee and the second year in three years the winner was from Memphis. The year before, the winner was from Nashville. The 1995 winner was sponsored by "The Commercial Appeal" newspaper.

Answer: logorrhea

The winner of that year's bee was from Tampa, Florida. They were one of the eight students profiled in the movie "Spellbound." They were sponsored by "The Tampa Tribune" newspaper.

Answer: demarche

The winner of the 2000 bee was from St. Louis, Missouri. It was the first time in nearly 40 years the winner was from Missouri. The previous time was in 1962, when one St. Louis student tied for the win with another student from El Paso, Texas. The boy who won the 2000 bee was sponsored by the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" newspaper.

The student who won this bee was one of the spellers interviewed in the movie "Spellbound." He is now a staff member for the spelling bee.

Answer: autochthonous

The winner of the 2004 bee was from South Bend, Indiana. The boy who won the 2004 bee was sponsored by the "South Bend Tribune" newspaper. This marked the first time since 1928 a student from Indiana won the national bee, when another student from South Bend claimed the national title.

Answer: Ursprache

The winner of that year's bee was from Spring Lake, New Jersey. She was sponsored by the "Asbury Park Press" newspaper. This was the first time a student from New Jersey ever won the national title.

Answer: serrefine

The winner of the 2007 bee was from Walnut Creek, California. He was speller number 11. After being interviewed after the competition, he stated that spelling isn't even his favorite interest. He said that in math he liked the way the numbers fit together, and spelling is just a bunch of memorization.

This student was sponsored by the "Contra Costa Times" newspaper based in Walnut Creek. This was the second time in three years a student from California claimed the national title and the third time overall.

The first time it had happened was in 1988.