--- title: Scripps National Spelling Bee: Words From First Bee in 1925 description: As the Scripps National Spelling Bee continues, see if you know the words that stumped the finalists the first year the contest was held. canonical: https://time.com/4798898/first-national-spelling-bee-words/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-31T16:07:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:04:50.048Z article:section: History og:title: Scripps National Spelling Bee: Words From First Bee in 1925 og:description: The winning word was a type of flower og:url: https://time.com/4798898/first-national-spelling-bee-words/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta09478c40ae6784b/6988cf8a0a4a22e5109ce64b/dictionary.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Spelling Bee Dictionary og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scripps National Spelling Bee: Words From First Bee in 1925 twitter:description: The winning word was a type of flower twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta09478c40ae6784b/6988cf8a0a4a22e5109ce64b/dictionary.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Words Stumped the Finalists at the First National Spelling Bee in 1925 > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=44763817-afe3-4bcb-bad0-aded7544bf18&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=44763817-afe3-4bcb-bad0-aded7544bf18&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Spellbinding Facts From Scripps Spelling Bee's Past [Watch (HLS stream): Spellbinding Facts From Scripps Spelling Bee's Past](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QKCEBn81.m3u8) (1:50)  _Published 2015-05-27. The Scripps National Spelling Bee inevitably ends in agony — and a ding — for so many young spellers. But they came a long way to get to this level._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 31, 2017 4:07 PM UTC The Scripps National Spelling Bee inevitably ends in agony — and a ding — for so many young spellers. But they came a long way to get to this level.  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 31, 2017 4:07 PM UTC In the years since 11-year-old Frank Neuhauser correctly spelled _gladiolus_ (a type of flower) during the first [National Spelling Bee](http://time.com/4692317/scripps-spelling-bee-edith-fuller/) on June 17, 1925, the [tournament](http://time.com/4347515/scripps-national-spelling-bee-quiz/) has blossomed into a much-watched annual [tradition](http://time.com/4350445/national-spelling-bee-2016-dab-running-man-challenge/). That also means [the words have gotten harder](http://www.kgun9.com/news/spelling-bee/the-national-spelling-bee-words-are-getting-harder-every-year) (hello, “[gesellschaft](http://time.com/4350445/national-spelling-bee-2016-dab-running-man-challenge/)[“](http://www.kgun9.com/news/spelling-bee/the-national-spelling-bee-words-are-getting-harder-every-year)), as the Internet has made it easier to look up words and, thanks in part to a prime broadcast slot on ESPN, competition has gotten more intense. So what were the spellers asked to spell the very first time around? A spokesperson for Scripps National Spelling Bee tells TIME that they do not have any records of the full list of words from 1925; though [a list of winning words exists](http://spellingbee.com/champions-and-their-winning-words), the organization has only started keeping track of full word lists over the last decade. However, the words that knocked out the 1925 finalists were[ listed by TIME the following week.](http://time.com/vault/issue/1925-06-29/page/26/) Here they are: --- > “” --- That $500 prize in 1925 would be the equivalent of a little more than $7,000 now, adjusted for inflation. Today’s first-place winner is awarded[ $40,000 cash, among other prizes.](http://spellingbee.com/prizes) For anyone wondering what becomes of America’s top spellers after those 15 minutes of fame, TIME’s History section caught up last year with[ eight former champions](http://time.com/4344080/scripps-national-spelling-bee-winners-where-are-they-now/). ## Transcript So begins that strange time of year when we all tune in to TVs to watch the spoken work. More than that, the spelled work. The Scripps National Spelling Bee inevitably ends in agony and a ding for so many young spellers. [ NOISE ] Doh! All of them fighting to be that one verbose victor, if you will. E- U- O- N- Y- M euonym! The celebrations end The pressure leading up to them were often admittedly over the top but to be fair, so are the steps these kids took to get to this level of competition. Once they've made it past their local and regional levels, the contestants have outspelled more than 10 million other children. As you can see at this level, the words quickly get harder. I was a nervous wreck. [ LAUGH ] So I love my baby to death so I had to walk out. I couldn't even stand inside. But the national spelling be is held each year at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center south of Washington D. C. Once they reach this spot, spellers have to make it through preliminaries, semi- finals, and finals. Bio- illogicality. The man you'll hear from most often is Jacques Bailly, the official pronouncer of the Bee, and it's champion when he was a child in 1980. The first ever champion was Frank Neuhauser. From Louisville, who in 1925 correctly spelled gladiolus for the win. 2014 saw two champions, both Ansun Sujoe and Sriram Hathwar correctly spelled the entire 25 word spelling list to end in a tie. Sujoe's last word was feuilleton. While Hathwar correctly spelled stichomythia. Scripts says no one is quite sure why it is called a spelling bee. 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