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 |
| 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". 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".
There were 247 participants this year, 51% female, with about one-fourth coming from a private or parochial school, and 12 home-schoolers.
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.