1973

The 46th Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee took place on June 14th, 1973. It was held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., and 78 spellers participated.

Barrie Trinkle was this year’s winner, and she now serves as a Bee Official on the Word Panel.

Learn more

About the 46th Bee

Champion

Barrie Trinkle

Fort Worth, Texas

Barrie Trinkle, age 13, sponsored by the Fort Worth Press, won the $1,000 prize by correctly spelling the word “vouchsafe.”

Barrie has been a Bee Word Panelist since 1997 and was one of the very first employees ever hired at Amazon. After graduating from MIT, Barrie spent more than a decade at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory before joining Amazon from 1996-2001.

Location

Mayflower Hotel

at the Grand Ballroom

Winning Word

vouchsafe(v)

vauch-SAYF

choose to give by way of reply.

This word is from English.

OFFICIALS

Directors

James H. Wagner

Judges

  • Dr. Robert E. Baker
  • Leroy C. Dillard
  • John H. Lloyd

Pronouncers

  • Dr. Richard R. Baker

SPELLER ROSTER

  • Scott Akers
  • Mariannne Judith Atmore
  • Joshua Aylor
  • Sherri Bass
  • Frankie Bice
  • Mike Bowen
  • Kathy Brosmer
  • Diane Bryan
  • David Allen Bryan
  • Thomas Connell
  • Azenett Cornejo
  • Mark Coughran
  • Janice Dooner
  • Graham N. Drake
  • Pamela Ann Evans
  • Mary Felton
  • Greg George
  • Alison Gold
  • Carl Gombert
  • George Gorski
  • Harry L. Green
  • Tamara Hartweg
  • Victor Hastings
  • Stephen Hayes
  • Lee Hendren
  • Debra Ann Herdman
  • Miriam Himmelfarb
  • Mary Ellen Hoogstraet
  • Blythe Hopkins
  • Carol Ann Hughes
  • Ben Johnson
  • Lisa Elizabeth Jones
  • Michael Kelley
  • Patrick Kerpan
  • Greg Kerwin
  • Jud Kilgren
  • Lois Knauff
  • Marie Lamb
  • Greg Lawrence
  • Jonathan Leach
  • Theresa Limtiaco
  • Paul Lockwood
  • John C. Lucas III
  • James Lux
  • Carrie Ann Markie
  • Michael McDonough
  • Joanne McMullen
  • Dawn Millington
  • Christopher Moore
  • Judy Nash
  • Jean Norfleet
  • Reid Oechslin
  • Dawn Patterson
  • Mary Kay Pelini
  • Brian Phillips
  • John Pickett
  • Renee Ponts
  • Camellia Jane Pratt
  • Elizabeth Queen
  • Mark Richards
  • Becky Ritke
  • Penny Rutherford
  • Matthew Scheiber
  • Arthur R. Schultz Jr.
  • James Seale
  • Lauren S. Shugarts
  • Beth Silverman
  • Charles A. Speight
  • Dana Spuhler
  • Loryn Stavitsky
  • Patricia Tricamo
  • Barrie Trinkle
  • Beth Underwood
  • Vicki White
  • Glynda Withers
  • Hoon T. Won
  • Mark Wyatt

* Winner
** Runner-Up