The definition is: the act or practice of burying alive. The word was vivisepultury, and it was on this morbid note the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee ended.
Wendy Guey, a four-time national spelling bee participant from West Palm Beach, Fla., spelled it and the word "lisle" to clinch the top spot at the 69th annual national spelling bee Thursday evening.After placing in the top 10 finishers in both the 1993 and 1994 national contests, Wendy took it all this year without, metaphorically, burying the competition alive.
The spelling bee ended in the 12th round, but it took three tedious rounds to crown the 1996 champion. This was largely due to the fact that the three final spellers all misspelled their word in round nine, so all three came back on stage for round ten with the final two spellers advancing to round eleven. Again both spellers missed their words and were brought back a second time for the final face-off.
As winner of the national spelling bee, Wendy walks away with more than $20,000 in cash and prizes.
Ben Crowder, of Utah County, was the Deseret News Utah Spelling Bee champion participating in the national spelling bee.
Crowder finished in the second round of competition, placing 152nd in a field of 247.