Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast

Another Scripps National Spelling Bee is in the books, and remarkably, our ‘Pair of Aces’ featured in Episode 9 each walked away with their own trophy. Vanya Shivashankar took her prize on the word “scherenschnitte” and under pressure, Gokul Venkatachalam spelled “nunatak” like a true all-star. On today’s show, we revisit this year’s exciting final and dissect this year’s drama with 2000 champion and sage-to-the-spellers George Thampy. We'll also get host Paul Loeffler’s reaction while...

For spelling fans, #BeeWeek is the most wonderful time of the year. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the yearly pinnacle of linguistic competition, and this podcast is your home for all the excitement. On today’s program, we’ll cut right to the chase and feature two of the top spellers in this year’s competition. First up, Vanya Shivashankar, younger sister of 2009 Champion Kavya and winner of the Lifetime game show “Child Genius.” This year, Vanya is relishing her fifth and final trip...

Spelling fans, rejoice, for our long winter is over and #BeeWeek is finally here! On this episode of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast, we have a truly exemplary guest from the highest chamber of our country’s legislature. US Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker takes time out of his busy schedule to offer encouragement to our young competitors and to discuss the power of words in his own life. Before holding elected office, Senator Booker enjoyed a successful football career at...

Almost ninety spellers have etched themselves into history by winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and still more are remembered for inadvertently starring in ‘viral’ moments that spread to the wider culture. And then, there is the young man who did both: Sameer Mishra. In 2008, a thirteen-year-old Mishra stepped to the microphone in anticipation of Dr. Jacques Bailly pronouncing his next word. “Numnah” is a pad of sheepskin or foam, placed under a saddle. Nothing too remarkable about...

Here on the Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast, we’re gearing up for Bee Week with current competitors, past champions and other masters of the English language. Today, we visit with Amber Born, a young speller who has competed four times at the National Bee in Washington, earning a top-4 finish in 2013. Once she aged out of spelling competition, she answered the call of another mic on stage, trying her hand at standup comedy. On this episode of the Scripps National Spelling Bee podcast,...

When you’re watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee, pay close attention to the competitors, because if today’s podcast guest is any indication, you’re observing some of the brightest young minds in the country. Since winning the Bee in 2007, Evan O’Dorney has been on quite a roll. As a 9th grader, he began taking college math classes at UC Berkley. Four years ago, he enrolled at Harvard, where he studied mathematics and music. Today, he’s on the cusp of graduation, then it's off for a...

Each May, the Scripps National Spelling Bee lines up shoulder-to-shoulder with the NBA and Major League Baseball on ESPN. For this special week, the world of sports throws a burly arm around the spelling bee and marvels at our young spellers’ performance under pressure. Today on the Scripps National Spelling Bee podcast, we’re returning the favor by speaking with one of the most loquacious lovers of language in the world of sports: soccer commentator Ray Hudson. A former professional player...

Sophia Hoffman was just 11 years old when she competed in last year’s Jackson-Clay County spelling bee. She had spelled her way past all her competitors but one, seventh grader Kush Sharma. The showdown between the two would be a fateful one, and not for the faint of heart. These two mental gladiators both spelled without error for sixty-six rounds, exhausting the approved word list. Two weeks (and 29 additional rounds!) later they locked horns again and when the dust settled, Sophia had...

What’s a four-letter word for “anticipatory excitement?” Buzz! That is certainly the word on our minds as #BeeWeek and the Scripps National Spelling Bee draws ever closer. On this special series of podcasts, our host Paul Loeffler offers his unique perspective from both sides of the bright lights of the finals. A contestant himself at age 13, Loeffler is all grown up and now hosts the live television broadcast of the Bee. People love the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the incredible...

#BeeWeek and The Scripps National Spelling Bee is just around the corner, and this special series of shows, the Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast, is your home for insider info and conversations about the Bee, language and life. When considering whom to invite as our inaugural guest, we had three criteria: The guest had to be a former successful competitor in the Bee, someone who had made an impact, and, most importantly, someone with a passion and zest for life. “I know it! I totally...

The Scripps Washington Bureau proudly presents a special series, The Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast. Our host is none other than Paul Loeffler, ESPN Spelling commentator and a finalist himself in 1990. This year, Scripps has created this show as a way for the entire spelling community - or the orthograsphere if you will - to feel like insiders. We’ll have conversations with this year’s competitors, notable spellers from the past, and people in culture who use language in interesting...