| 42nd Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
 The Mayflower Hotel, site of the 42nd National Spelling Bee | |
| Date | June 4–5, 1969 |
| Location | The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | Susan Yoachum |
| Age | 14 |
| Residence | Dallas, Texas |
| Sponsor | Dallas Morning News |
| Sponsor location | Dallas, Texas |
| Winning word | interlocutory |
| No. of contestants | 73 |
| Pronouncer | Richard R. Baker |
| Preceded by | 41st Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 42nd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel on June 4–5, 1969, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 14-year-old Susan Yoachum of Texas, an 8th grade student at Hill Junior High School in Dallas, with the winning word "interlocutory". Yoachum later became a well-regarded journalist, rising to the post of political editor at the San Francisco Chronicle. She died of breast cancer at age 43 in June 1998.[1]
Second place went to 14-year-old Margaret Matthees of Huntsville, Alabama, who fell on "egalitarian". David Groisser, age 12, of Brooklyn, finished third, misspelling "quoits" as "quytes".
First prize was $1000, second was $500, and third was $250.[2][3]
There were 73 contestants this year. In the first day of competition, 464 words were used over nine rounds and the field was reduced to 23 participants.[4] A total of 571 words were used by the end.[5]