How long does a spelling bee take

At the same time, everyone who speaks English also knows that spelling in English is not the easiest task in the world. Spelling bees are the most well-known spelling competitions which take place all over the world. Even though they are essentially designed for children, most adults would struggle with some of the words which the lovely young contestants have to deal with in these competitions.

Winning a spelling bee is hard, but not impossible. This competition has a long and interesting history, and there are many tips as to how to be the best at it.

Here you can compete with players coming from all corners of the world. Go on, give it a shot, it's free and fun. Our guide contains the answers to all of your questions about spelling bees. A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants compete in spelling a variety of words in English. Basically, participants in spelling bee competitions are asked to spell words of different levels of difficulty. The competition starts at the school level, and every correct, flawlessly spelled word keeps the participants in the competition until they reach the national finale.

The competition originated in the country where it still remains most popular - the United States. Nevertheless, nowadays, it is popularly held all over the world. In the US, the national spelling bee usually takes place once a year in late May or early June, and you can watch it on TV.

Everyone knows what a spelling bee is, but not many people know what its name actually means. After all, it would be a bit bizarre to find a bee that can spell! Students usually assume that the bee refers to the insect.

Over the years, the word bee has not only been used to describe the insect but has had many other meanings. Yet, in recent years, linguists made a strong claim against this interesting theory.

This explains why bees were activities in which people helped a neighbor or friend in need. How the insect got its name most likely had nothing to do with them. Evidently, "bee " is a much better choice, because it is short, easy to spell and remember and, most importantly, it has a positive meaning. We, for once, are glad there are no spelling fights on TV these days.

Now that you know what the spelling bee and the bee is, you must be wondering who invented this amazing competition. That's right; it was a newspaper whom we need to thank for the spelling bee! Another eight newspapers collaborated with the Courier-Journal to organize the historic first national championship which consolidated several local spelling bees. Since then, the national spelling bee competition has been held every year except from to during World War II. Isn't that an impressive record?

Although organized by a paper from Kentucky, the national spelling bee was organized at the National Museum in Washington, D. Can you imagine, about two million students had participated in school spelling bees?

But it was only the fantastic nine who all got to meet President Calvin Coolidge before the contest began. The first person to win the first official national spelling bee was an year old boy called Frank Neuhauser. When Frank returned to his hometown Louisville, Kentucky, the city even held a parade in his honor.

This spelling battle took only 90 minutes. What other words appeared in this first short spelling bee championship? Highly unlikely. In fact, Mr. The NBC live broadcasted the national finals for the first time in We are all grateful for this improvement. Evidently, the spelling bee has changed drastically since But the spirit of education, competition, and valuing the brightest young minds in the country and beyond still persist. What are competitions without rules?

There certain preset rules for every stage of the competition. In fact, the rules of a spelling bee change depending on the stage of the competition. Here, contestants are asked to take a written test before they advance to the oral spelling phase. Spellers can get maximum 36 points, but even if they don't, and yet they find themselves among the 50 highest-scoring contestants, they will reach semi-finals. Test Name. Points Achievable.

The written and MCQ test has 26 items which are again classified into four rounds. The point distribution goes as follow,. Round No. Round Type. Items to Clear. During the afternoon of the oral test, generally, the results are published. It sounds easy, but what is this written test we are talking about? Since , spelling bee competitors are also required to memorize or simply know the meaning of the word they are asked to spell correctly.

Well, this is no longer the case. Who is to blame for that? Following from that, all of the qualifying spellers who reach the preliminary round meet in Maryland before the actual live-broadcasted championship takes place.

This is where things get serious! The spelling and vocabulary components carry equal weight, which means that spelling alone is nowhere near enough to be among to the top 50 spellers who will move on to the semifinals. The semifinals come after additional two rounds of oral spelling. The 50 best spellers will then start Round 4, which consists of multiple-choice vocabulary questions and two rounds of oral spelling.

Among them, only 12 will reach the national finale. In the final stage of a spelling bee, the spellers go through different rounds of oral spelling.

Each competitor is asked to spell one word in each round within the 2-minute time limit. The clock starts ticking the moment the pronouncer announces the word for the first time. The logic of the final round is pretty straightforward. Whoever spells their word incorrectly is eliminated from the competition. Whoever manages to spell their word right continues the competition. And the battle goes on and on until there is only one speller left. Sometimes, the first place can be shared, although this rarely happens.

There cannot be more than 25 consecutive rounds where there are only three or fewer spellers. Would it be possible for all remaining spellers to make mistakes in the same round? This already sounds like a lot of rules. Are there any more?

Hint: the answer is Y-E-S! This dictionary is the primary source used when the words are chosen and crafted in terms of their definitions and origins. This means that if the dictionary allows for two or more different spellings of the word, then all of them will be accepted by the Scripps. Because people are not dictionaries, spellers are not left completely without any assistance. Before spelling their words, contestants are allowed to ask several types of questions to the pronouncer.

If the pronouncer wants to be especially nice and helpful, they can, without any requests, offer word information that otherwise appears in the dictionary or the Scripps National Spelling Bee word list.

When it comes to judges, their role is to listen, make sure the rules are respected, and make a final say regarding whether or not words are spelled correctly. On that note, what is the proper way to spell a word? That would be the ideal way to earn your points, although the judges must not disqualify you if you forget to repeat the word. Once you say a letter, it is done, you cannot correct yourself. Finally, another rule of disqualification to be mindful of is that any speller who does not approach the microphone when it is their turn to receive a word will also have to say goodbye to the championship.

It would, therefore, be wise to practice holding a mic during your training for the championship. We know that, at least in the final stages of a spelling bee competition, contestants can expect to be asked to spell any word in the English language. Still, the evolution of the words the spellers are being asked to spell has been studied so that certain patterns can be observed.

But things are not that easy these days. The evolution was slow, but it surely did make life harder for all the young spellers trying to make it these days. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an establishment, and like in all institutions, there are committees. Basically, it is up to these twelve people to determine the faith of the spellers from all over the United States. But there some hints as to what the spellers can expect. A recent research shows that most words asked at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the past couple of decades originated from Latin and that these were closely followed by Middle English and French words.

In the past several years, those originating from German seem to have taken over. In any case, while it is impossible to know which foreign language the winning word is going to come from.

Although, a couple of sources appeared revealing the selection process. Yes, it takes a whole summer! After that, they meet for two days to discuss their lists and come up with a rough draft of the ultimate word list. That said, at the end of the day, the words tend to be chosen from newspaper articles and books the committee members read. While we are not certain whether this ritual is out-of-date or not, it is definitely worth spending some time on newspapers and listening to the radio to prepare for the spelling bee.

Needless to say, it is unlikely but not impossible for a word to reappear in the championship. After 90 years of competition, the committee cannot keep track of all the words which came up on a spelling bee. Going through any comprehensive list of past spelling bee words could be good practice.

But overall, you should know that the selection process remains a big mystery to date. Each year, millions of children take part in different spelling bee competitions around the country and abroad.

Yet, only a few of them end up on national TV. There are two major steps to getting to the national spelling bee championship:. As if these two steps alone are not hard enough to accomplish, there is a number of other eligibility criteria that all aspiring spellers must take into consideration. First things first.

Not any school spelling bee contest will qualify you for the championship. Your school must be enrolled in the Scripps program and determined to send a student to the official regional spelling bee.

So, when should you enroll? Each year, the pre-enrollment period usually starts on August 1, nearly ten months before the annual championship takes place, and it extends all the way to mid-December. Once that is done, the winner of the school competition advances to the regionals.

A regional spelling bee typically includes several counties, and sometimes even an entire state. Not all the rules of the national competition apply to regional competitions.

So, the organizers have some flexibility as to how they choose their representative. It is a must for them to have sponsors, usually local newspapers. They host the competition and send the winner to Maryland for the championship. There are over sponsors at the moment, meaning that there are over regional competitions and winners who qualify for the national championship.

Is there any way, kids from schools which do not participate in the official Scripps program can end up in Maryland? Self-sponsored spelling champions are free to send their application to the Scripps National Spelling Bee and hope to get an approval.

But remember, this small exception to the rules and regulations is especially useful for children who are homeschooled or live in very rural areas. It is also important that you fulfill these two criteria on the road to the national championship in the same year.

You must enter the regional and the national competition immediately after you win the school competition. More precisely, only the spellers who are declared champions of a local spelling bee in the same year when the national competition takes place can compete. The Scripps Bee also limits who can qualify for the national championship based on age and grade. Only students enrolled in the eighth grade or below as of the year when the Scripps championship takes place can advance to the finals.

The winners of any high school spelling bee, unfortunately, cannot run for the grand prize. Because students and their parents go crazy about the spelling bee, Scripps has made it one of the eligibility rules that the speller must not repeat a grade in order to extend their spelling bee eligibility. That means you can't stay in grade eight until you're 18 hoping to win the national spelling bee.

In fact, the maximum age is 15! Here, Latin, Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, and English Literature do not qualify as "normal school activity," but any four or more courses which are not languages and spelling taken for at least four hours per day will suffice. The only way this could change is to politely ask your relative to find a new job. Finally, there is some level of bureaucracy to the national spelling bee, too.

Once a speller qualifies for the championship, he or she must register online by filling in a completed online Champion Registration form. There is a number of other statements, certificates, and agreements that need to be signed and sent before the qualifying speller can head towards Maryland for the preliminaries. As we said, there is a number of small things that a speller must comply with in order to get to all the way to the national spelling bee.

Still, the two most difficult tasks are winning the school spelling bee and winning the regional bee. After those two tasks are completed, all other requirements will be a piece of cake. The E. Scripps Company became the sponsor of the National Spelling Bee in , so the name of the national competition was subsequently changed.

That means that all the best spellers from the country and beyond get to stay there for a few days. They come from all 50 states of the U. Virgin Islands, New Zealand, and some European countries.

In fact, it is quite an international event, which makes it even greater. The one lucky and, of course, hard-working speller who wins the national spelling bee championship is in for a treat.

The winners are rewarded with a myriad of prizes. Obviously, the chance to become an international celebrity and achievement of immense glory comes along. So, what are these other awards?

It sounds like the winner is ready for college! The prize is determined based on how far into the competition the contestant managed to reach.

Spelling bee competitions have become popular around the world. Most English teachers organize mini spelling bees for their students at some stage. On top of that, spelling bees are also organized at a more serious, national or even continental level in some parts of the world. So, how the competition is faring in the world? Several African countries run their own spelling bees at the national level. What's incredible is that these spelling bees are not only in English but also in local languages and sign languages.

For example, in the country Uganda, the national spelling bee celebrates the competition in 10 different languages 8 of them are native or local languages including English and in sign languages.

The annual African Spelling Bee which gathers children between 6 and 16 years of age from all over the continent. Asian countries follow a similar path. In many cities in Asia, to win a spelling bee, competitors must know not only the correct spelling of words but also their use in sentences and different contexts.

Furthermore, they are being tested on both antonyms and synonyms of the chosen word. You guessed right; there is even more! Since , participants are also requested to know some information about the etymology of the word. In the United Kingdom, spelling bees are nearly as old as they are in the United States. The competition starts at the local level.

The winner of each round moves on to the next level until they eventually participate in a regional spelling bee. Finally, a national competition is organized each year, bringing together children from all parts of the country. Canspell National Spelling Bee is the only spelling bee that has a direct affiliation with the E.

Scripps Company. It even has the similar sets of rules like the Scripps National Spelling Bee. They both are different and organized by different organizers. This is where all the fun begins. Preparing for a spelling bee requires diligence, persistence, and ambition.

That is the only way forward to winning a spelling bee. However, it would be hard to say there is only one best way to practice for a spelling bee. Each speller finds different methods to stay engaged and motivated, and learn new words with ease. That being said, of course, there are a few necessary steps that no serious speller should skip.

The first step to being ready for a spelling bee is, obviously, to make sure you know the basics of spelling. Although there will always be exceptions, it is important to know the rules that are embedded in English grammar. The next step would be to discuss more advanced structures such as silent letters. These are the letters that are present in spelling but not in pronunciation, so it can be very easy for the contestant to omit them.

Things could be confusing for the children at the beginning. Always give them examples. Now that this is done, you might want to move on to spelling bee word lists. Long lists of words you should know how to spell can serve as a great starting point. Even at a later stage of the competition, you might want to continue with word lists unless you are ready to read the entire dictionary! Schools which participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest provide the competitors with such spelling bee lists.

On that note, you do still want to get your own copy of the Merriam Webster Unabridged dictionary, since this is the official dictionary used by the Scripps National Spelling Bee. This means that the only correct spelling of a word is the one which is in that dictionary. Remember, word lists are study guides and not the ultimate spelling bee material. Memorizing all the words from a word list will not guarantee victory.

For this reason, there are several steps you need to take to ensure that you have such a solid understanding of spelling rules, patterns, and history in the English language that nearly no word can surprise you. Following from that, it is crucial that you study etymology or the origins of words.

This is where things get really interesting since the English language has been influenced by many foreign languages. This means that sometimes the spelling of the word will not comply with the rules of English grammar and pronunciation. Yet, with time, you will start to notice certain patterns. To be more precise, many words which come from the same foreign language have the same root, so studying etymology can really help you be able to spell a word even if you are not sure what it means.

For this reason, it is advisable to explore words based on the language grouping they belong to. All of these small revelations will help you build strong spelling skills. It does, however, matter how the word you will be asked to spell is going to be pronounced. The pronouncer is going to pronounce each word the way they are meant to be pronounced according to the dictionary. To be on the safe side, it is useful to learn about diacritics. These are small symbols found above words in the dictionary that tell you how and where to put an accent on a word.

There are different strategies you can apply to make it easier to remember how certain words are spelled. One such strategy is making a Trace, Copy, and Remember guide.

Obviously, there is a great number of resources you can use to practice for a spelling bee. Each year, Scripps publishes new school bee materials for the year, including study lists. These lists will certainly prepare you for the first level of the competition, but to win the national one, you will have to go beyond them. In addition, there are many word spelling games available online. Some of them even allow you to make your own set of words so that you can practice the most difficult words only.

Finally, you can always ask your family members and friends to help you practice. Ask them to make a list of words for you and have you spell them out loud. Also, to be completely honest, you will have to accept that some words you simply have to learn by heart.

How did some of the past Scripps National Spelling Bee champions prepare for taking over the throne? The spelling bee winner David Tidmarsh read all , words in the Merriam-Webster dictionary! Snigdha Nandipati, who won the championship in , started preparing when she was only four years old. She also studied with 30, different flashcards with some of the trickiest words. Arvind Mahankali, who won in , was determined not to be eliminated on a German origin word like the year before, so he studied the German language spelling patterns.

Similarly, you should look up to the tips the winners have shared for the future participants. However, it is wise to skim through it every now and then, pick several pages and see how well you would do if any of those words were picked by the pronouncer.

When you read other material, even if it is for your science class or for pleasure, always look up words which are new or you are not sure what they mean and how you would use them.

They are going to stick around in your head because you will remember in what specific context they appeared. Lastly, all these tips are important, but that doesn't mean you can't invent the new best way of winning a spelling bee! English is not the simplest language when it comes to pronunciation, considering that some letters have more than one sound, while others are not pronounced at all. This can create a lot of problems for spellers because they might confuse what they hear with a completely different word they know how to spell but cannot pronounce correctly.

This is because written English is based on a phonetic alphabet. When compared with the regular alphabet, phonetic alphabet consists of many more symbols. In fact, there are 12 vowel sounds, 8 diphthongs, and 24 consonant sounds. Phonetics, the study of speech sounds, is therefore absolutely crucial in your preparation for a spelling bee. This article tried to signify the importance of phonemic symbols in teaching pronunciation.

Every speech sound has a symbol or symbols which are called phonetic transcriptions. Seeing how the two words are written using the phonetic alphabet makes that much clearer than by simply memorizing how to spell the words.

Even the NATO phonetic alphabet can help you in many cases if you are practicing for the competition. Next, a diphthong is a union of two vowels which occur in the same syllable and make a unique vowel sound. If you incorporate the study of Phonetics into your spelling bee study plan from the very beginning, this can significantly improve your spelling ability throughout your life.

In fact, children who learn to read with the help of phonetics grow to read more accurately than those who resort to other methods. So, what is the best way to do it? First and foremost, you need to learn all the phonetic symbols. School Resources. School Calendar. Fun Stuff. Kids Camps Christmas Kids Camps. Discussion Forums. Primary Tutors Secondary Grinds. Log in Register Forgot password? They provide a great way for students to learn new words and raise money at the same time.

The competition standard can be set to suit primary or secondary school students. Charge students to take part and parents to come and watch Initial heats can be held within the school with each classroom holding a class Spelling Bee. The top 3 students from each class can qualify to compete in the school Spelling Bee which could be divided into a junior and senior section, i.

Gather a list of words to be used for the competition. You might consider an overall theme or different themes for different rounds of questions. The list should include the pronunciation of each word, the definition and a sample sentence that uses the word correctly.

All spellers competing in the competition are given a number to determine their spelling order. The numbers are randomly drawn from a hat. Spellers are seated in numerical order facing the pronouncer and the audience if there is one.

Starting with speller number one, each speller is called in turn to the front of the group and the pronouncer reads the word they are to spell. The speller is given the opportunity to ask for the word to be repeated, the definition of the word and for the word to be used in a sentence. The speller then spells the word.

Once the speller has started to spell the word, he or she may stop and start over from the beginning, HOWEVER, there can be no changes of the letters already spelled or the order in which they were first spelled.

If the speller spells the word correctly they return to their seat. How do you spell 'inequality' at the Bee? It may seem absurd to offer spelling bee coaching scholarships in a time when many children lack educational resources. Yet, addressing inequality in education as well as extracurricular activities is a viable way society can take steps to counter racism and White supremacy. The alternative is to perpetuate the exclusion and elitism upon which the spelling bee is based.

Although this educational contest is open to all children, it has historically rewarded racially and economically privileged children. The roots of the spelling bee are in standardizing American English as part of the settler colonial project of American nation building. Establishing a distinct variety of American English was a central part of this process. Spelling bees were originally classroom exercises to create uniformity of pronunciation as well as spelling, and the latter was regimented through the dictionary publishing industry.

Lexicographer Noah Webster's early dictionary from the eventually formed the basis for Merriam Webster's publishing company. The emphasis on American English monolingualism amidst a plurality of Native American and European languages spoken at the turn of the 20th century was intentionally exclusionary. American English monolingualism prevails despite the United States soliciting migrants from regions with numerous languages and other varieties of English since With Generation Z b.

Yet, exclusion is built into the ways in which those with the most resources are best able to compete. Get our free weekly newsletter. Exclusion routinely occurred along racial lines as well. Although the first National Spelling Bee was held in , until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in , Black children were routinely banned from participating in spelling bees.

The Indian American winners who have steadily won since have endured a litany of racism on broadcast and social media for not being "American" -- code for not being White. Seen by many as outsiders, and as part of communities subjected to waves of anti-Asian violence , they are left to make sense of negative reactions to their success in the form of calls for "real Americans" to regain control of this contest.

Let's use this time of economic and racial reckoning to address not only who can afford to participate in this competition, but also who counts as American.