From ‘Gladiolus’ to ‘Éclaircissement’: Spelling Still Matters a Century Later

Spellcheck and AI were happily shoved aside on the 100th anniversary of a proud American tradition.

Faizan Zaki (C), 13, of Dallas, Texas, holds the Scripps Cup while being interviewed by E. W. Scripps Company CEO Adam Symson (L) after winning the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Md., on May 29, 2025. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

This is not your grandparents’ Scripps National Spelling Bee.

In 1976, the nation’s bicentennial year, Tim Kneale of Syracuse correctly recited the letters of the word “narcolepsy” to become the 49th national champion and the first from New York state.