The finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee are being broadcast live on network television tonight (ABC, 8 p.m. ET). The top finalists who will be competing tonight will be posted here at 4:00 p.m. today.
If you’ve never seen this before (ESPN covers it every year) — trust me — it’s really fun to watch. You’ll be impressed with the kids, and really get into the drama of the competition.
And you just might learn how to spell "obstreperous".
To whet your appetite and test your spelling skills, play this.
MORE: Below the fold, the list of past winners (from 1925 forward), their sponsors, and their winning words. Of the 81 champions, 42 are girls and 39 are boys. [Two past winners are from Winston-Salem!]
UPDATE: My mom informs me one of the finalists tonight is also from Winston-Salem. (She’s actually from Taylorsville, I believe, but the Winston-Salem Journal is probably her sponsor).
RELATED: Great moments in Scripps Spelling Bee History (from 2004 – a contestant faints, gets up, and spells the word correctly):
Champions and Their Winning Words
1925: gladiolus
Frank Neuhauser
Louisville Courier-Journal
Louisville, Kentucky
1926: abrogate
Pauline Bell
Louisville Courier-Journal
Louisville, Kentucky
1927: luxuriance
Dean Lucas
Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, Ohio
1928: albumen
Betty Robinson
South Bend News-Tribune
South Bend, Indiana
1929: asceticism
Virginia Hogan
The Omaha World-Herald
Omaha, Nebraska
1930: fracas
Helen Jensen
Des Moines Register & Tribune
Des Moines, Iowa
1931: foulard
Ward Randall
White Hall Register-Republican
White Hall, Illinois
1932: knack
Dorothy Greenwalk
Des Moines Register & Tribune
Des Moines, Iowa
1933: torsion
Alma Roach
Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, Ohio
1934: deteriorating
Sarah Wilson
Portland Evening Express
Portland, Maine
1935: intelligible
Clara Mohler
Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, Ohio
1936: interning
Jean Trowbridge
Des Moines Register & Tribune
Des Moines, Iowa
1937: promiscuous
Waneeta Beckley
Louisville Courier-Journal
Louisville, Kentucky
1938: sanitarium
Marian Richardson
Louisville Times
Louisville, Kentucky
1939: canonical
Elizabeth Ann Rice
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Worcester, Massachusetts
1940: therapy
Laurel Kuykendall
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Knoxville, Tennessee
1941: initials
Louis Edward Sissman
Detroit News
Detroit, Michigan
1942: sacrilegious
Richard Earnhart
El Paso Herald-Post
El Paso, Texas
1946: semaphore
John McKinney
Des Moines Register & Tribune
Des Moines, Iowa
1947: chlorophyll
Mattie Lou Pollard
Atlanta Journal
Atlanta, Georgia
1948: psychiatry
Jean Chappelear
Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, Ohio
1949: dulcimer
Kim Calvin
Canton Repository
Canton, Ohio
1950: meticulosity
Diana Reynard
Cleveland Press
Cleveland, Ohio
and
Colquitt Dean
Atlanta Journal
Atlanta, Georgia
1951: insouciant
Irving Belz
Memphis Press Scimitar
Memphis, Tennessee
1952: vignette
Doris Ann Hall
Winston-Salem Journal
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1953: soubrette
Elizabeth Hess
Arizona Republic
Phoenix, Arizona
1954: transept
William Cashore
Norristown Times Herald
Norristown, Pennsylvania
1955: crustaceology
Sandra Sloss
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
St. Louis, Missouri
1956: condominium
Melody Sachko
The Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1957: schappe
Sandra Owen
Canton Repository
Canton, Ohio
and
Dana Bennett
Rocky Mountain News
Denver, Colorado
1958: syllepsis
Jolitta Schlehuber
Topeka Daily Capital
Topeka, Kansas
1959: catamaran
Joel Montgomery
Rocky Mountain News
Denver, Colorado
1960: eudaemonic
Henry Feldman
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Knoxville, Tennessee
1961: smaragdine
John Capehart
Tulsa Tribune
Tulsa, Oklahoma
1962: esquamulose
Nettie Crawford
El Paso Herald-Post
El Paso, Texas
and
Michael Day
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
St. Louis, Missouri
1963: equipage
Glen Van Slyke III
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Knoxville, Tennessee
1964: sycophant
William Kerek
Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, Ohio
1965: eczema
Michael Kerpan Jr.
Tulsa Tribune
Tulsa, Oklahoma
1966: ratoon
Robert A. Wake
Houston Chronicle
Houston, Texas
1967: chihuahua
Jennifer Reinke
The Omaha World-Herald
Omaha, Nebraska
1968: abalone
Robert L. Walters
The Topeka Daily Capital
Topeka, Kansas
1969: interlocutory
Susan Yoachum
Dallas Morning News
Dallas, Texas
1970: croissant
Libby Childress
Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1971: shalloon
Jonathan Knisely
Philadelphia Bulletin
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1972: macerate
Robin Kral
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock, Texas
1973: vouchsafe
Barrie Trinkle
Fort Worth Press
Fort Worth, Texas
1974: hydrophyte
Julie Ann Junkin
Birmingham Post-Herald
Birmingham, Alabama
1975: incisor
Hugh Tosteson
San Juan Star
San Juan, Puerto Rico
1976: narcolepsy
Tim Kneale
Syracuse Herald Journal-American
Syracuse, New York
1977: cambist
John Paola
The Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1978: deification
Peg McCarthy
The Topeka Capital-Journal
Topeka, Kansas
1979: maculature
Katie Kerwin
Rocky Mountain News
Denver, Colorado
1980: elucubrate
Jacques Bailly
Rocky Mountain News
Denver, Colorado
1981: sarcophagus
Paige Pipkin
El Paso Herald-Post
El Paso, Texas
1982: psoriasis
Molly Dieveney
Rocky Mountain News
Denver, Colorado
1983: Purim
Blake Giddens
El Paso Herald-Post
El Paso, Texas
1984: luge
Daniel Greenblatt
Loudoun Times-Mirror
Leesburg, Virginia
1985: milieu
Balu Natarajan
Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois
1986: odontalgia
Jon Pennington
The Patriot News
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
1987: staphylococci
Stephanie Petit
The Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1988: elegiacal
Rageshree Ramachandran
The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento, California
1989: spoliator
Scott Isaacs
Rocky Mountain News
Denver, Colorado
1990: fibranne
Amy Marie Dimak
The Seattle Times
Seattle, Washington
1991: antipyretic
Joanne Lagatta
The Wisconsin State Journal
Madison, Wisconsin
1992: lyceum
Amanda Goad
The Richmond News Leader
Richmond, Virginia
1993: kamikaze
Geoff Hooper
The Commercial Appeal
Memphis, Tennessee
1994: antediluvian
Ned G. Andrews
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Knoxville, Tennessee
1995: xanthosis
Justin Tyler Carroll
The Commercial Appeal
Memphis, Tennessee
1996: vivisepulture
Wendy Guey
The Palm Beach Post
West Palm Beach, Florida
1997: euonym
Rebecca Sealfon
Daily News
New York, New York
1998: chiaroscurist
Jody-Anne Maxwell
Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers, Ltd.
Kingston, Jamaica
1999: logorrhea
Nupur Lala
The Tampa Tribune
Tampa, Florida
2000: demarche
George Abraham Thampy
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis, Missouri
2001: succedaneum
Sean Conley
Aitkin Independent Age
Aitkin, Minnesota
2002: prospicience
Pratyush Buddiga
Rocky Mountain News
Denver, Colorado
2003: pococurante
Sai R. Gunturi
The Dallas Morning News
Dallas, Texas
2004: autochthonous
David Scott Pilarski Tidmarsh
South Bend Tribune
South Bend, Indiana
2005: appoggiatura
Anurag Kashyap
San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego, California