The 58th

Scripps National Spelling Bee The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The bee is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scri ...

was held in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

at the Capital Hilton on June 5–6, 1985, sponsored by the

E.W. Scripps Company The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...

. The winner was 13-year-old eighth-grader Balu Natarajan of Bolingbrook, Illinois, in his third appearance at the Bee (he finished 45th in 1983 and 63rd in 1984), the first winner from the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

area.Papajohn, George (7 June 1985)
Study, `Luck` Spell Success For 8th Grader
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' He spelled "milieu" for the win. Second place went to 13-year-old Kate Lingley of

Dover-Foxcroft, Maine Dover-Foxcroft is the largest town in and the seat of Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,422 at the 2020 census. The town is located near the geographic center of the state. History Dover-Foxcroft was originally tw ...

, who missed "farrago". Another 13-year-old, Tanya Solomon of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, took third, missing "syllepsis".(7 June 1985)
M-i-l-i-e-u wins
''The Telegraph'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

) 168 spellers competed in the Bee, 17 more than competed the previous year. There were 67 boys and 101 girls, including 19 repeat contestants, one 9-year-old, two 10-year-olds, 19 at age 11, 26 at age 12, 65 at age 13, and 55 at age 14. A total of 719 words were used.(7 June 1985)
And the winner is ... 'milieu'
''UPI''A total of 14 young spellers were eliminated in...
''UPI'' Natarajan was the first

Indian-American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

to win the Bee, and has been credited for inspiring the later dominance of Indian-Americans in the bee.Fieldman, CHuck (25 May 2015)
Hinsdale man recalls winning national spelling bee 30 years ago
''

''Berger, Joseph (5 June 2005)
Striving in America, and in the Spelling Bee
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''(6 June 1985)
National Spelling Bee reached 'killer round'
''Evening Independent'' (Associated Press)Anderson, Davide E. (6 June 1985)
More Good Spellers Surviving Contest Rounds
''Schenectady Gazette'' In addition to non-cash gifts, the first-place winner received $1,000. Total prize money to all finalists was $10,500.Tuttle, Roberta (7 June 1985)
Speller visiting D.C. sights
''The Day''

References

External links

List of spellers and missed words in order, by round
from UPI.com {{Scripps National Spelling Bee Scripps National Spelling Bee competitions 1985 in Washington, D.C. 1985 in education June 1985 events in the United States