The Scripps National Spelling Bee, a prestigious event celebrating linguistic prowess, is underway at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. This year, 247 young spellers, aged 9 to 15, are competing for the top prize of $52,500 in cash and other rewards. The competition will narrow down to between 10 and 16 finalists, who will vie for the championship on May 28.

As the nation tunes in to watch these talented youngsters spell words that many of us might not have encountered before, it’s a great time to reflect on the winning words from past years. Since 2000, the Bee has seen a variety of challenging words that have tested the mettle of its participants.

Winning Words Since 2000

• 2025: éclaircissement (Faizan Zaki, Dallas, Texas)
• 2024: abseil (Bruhat Soma, Tampa, Florida)
• 2023: psammophile (Dev Shah, Largo, Florida)
• 2022: moorhen (Harini Logan, San Antonio, Texas)
• 2021: Murraya (Zaila Avant-garde, New Orleans, Louisiana)
• 2020: No competition held
• 2019: Eight-way tie, including words like auslaut and erysipelas
• 2018: koinonia (Karthik Nemmani, McKinney, Texas)
• 2017: marocain (Ananya Vinay, Fresno, California)
• 2016: Tie with Feldenkrais and gesellschaft
• 2015: Tie with scherenschnitte and nunatak
• 2014: Tie with stichomythia and feuilleton
• 2013: knaidel (Arvind Mahankali, New York, New York)
• 2012: guetapens (Snigdha Nandipati, San Diego, California)
• 2011: cymotrichous (Sukanya Roy, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)
• 2010: stromuhr (Anamika Veeramani, Cleveland, Ohio)
• 2009: Laodicean (Kavya Shivashankar, Olathe, Kansas)
• 2008: guerdon (Sameer Mishra, West Lafayette, Indiana)
• 2007: serrefine (Evan O’Dorney, Walnut Creek, California)
• 2006: Ursprache (Kerry Close, Spring Lake, New Jersey)
• 2005: appoggiatura (Anurag Kashyap, San Diego, California)
• 2004: autochthonous (David Tidmarsh, South Bend, Indiana)
• 2003: pococurante (Sai Gunturi, Dallas, Texas)
• 2002: prospicience (Pratyush Buddiga, Denver, Colorado)
• 2001: succedaneum (Sean Conley, Aitkin, Minnesota)
• 2000: demarche (George Thampy, St. Louis, Missouri)

This year’s competition sees some familiar faces returning to the stage. Notably, Sarv Dharavane from Dunwoody, Georgia, who finished third last year, is back for another shot at the title. Other returning finalists include Esha Marupudi from Chandler, Arizona, and Oliver Halkett from Los Angeles. From the 2024 competition, YY Liang from Hartsdale, New York, and Shrey Parikh from Rancho Cucamonga, California, are also competing. Additionally, Sarah Fernandes from Omaha, Nebraska, a 2023 finalist, is in the running for the 2026 title.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee continues to be a celebration of young talent and dedication, drawing attention to the importance of language and education in shaping future generations.

Original reporting: Las Cruces Sun News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.