The 74th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C., on May 29–31, 2001, sponsored by the E.W.
Thirteen-year-old Sean Conley, from Anoka, Minnesota, won the competition in the 16th round by correctly spelling the word "succedaneum".
Fifty-two spellers had previously participated in a national bee, a new record.
[5] The bee used a three-day format for the first time this year, though bee staff already planned to return to two days the following year by adding a written-test for the first time.
The contest began at 4pm on Tuesday May 29, with one-half of the spellers competing in round one starting at 4pm, and the other half at 7pm.