The 28th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia on May 19, 1955, with the final rounds at the Department of Commerce auditorium, and was sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company. The winner was 13-year-old Sandra Sloss of Granite City, Illinois, correctly spelling the word crustaceology. Jean Copeland of Prescott, Arizona placed second. Naomi Klein, 12, of Brooklyn, New York, placed third after missing "quincunx". Last year's runnerup, William Kelley of Kennett, Missouri, placed fourth.