Spelling Bee

Scripps National Spelling Bee

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States. It is the nations largest and longest –running education promotion, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scripps Company and is held the week following Memorial Day weekend, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center hotel in Oxon Hill, Maryland near Washington, D.C. It is open to students who have not yet completed the eighth grade, reached their 15th birthday, nor won a previous National Spelling Bee. Over the years, the competition has been opened to contestants all over the world. Participants from countries other than the United States must be regional spelling-bee winners as well.

History

The National Spelling Bee was formed in 1925 as a consolidation of numerous local spelling bees, organized by The Courier-Journal in Louisville and having nine competitors. Frank Neuhauser won the first National Spelling Bee held that year, by successfully spelling "gladiolus."

The origin of the word "bee" as used in "spelling bee" is unclear. "Bee" refers to "a gathering", where people join together in an activity. and the origin of this sense of "bee" is related to the word "been".

The Spelling Bee Competition

Qualifying Regional Competitions

To qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, a speller must win a regional competition. Each region may set its own rules for a spelling bee. Regional rules may not correspond exactly with the national spelling bee.

There are many books they can refer to: Spell it (officialstudy booklet), School Pronouner’s Guide (include some surprise word), Sponsor Bee Guide.

(To participate in the national competition, a speller must be sponsored. )

National competition format

Round One

Now referred to as the Round One Test, it consists of 50 words, 25 of which are deemed "score words". The score words are the only words that will count towards a speller's overall score, and their status is undisclosed until the actual results announcement. This test will be taken on a computer. Spellers use headphones to listen to a recording of Dr. Jacques Bailly, the Bee's official pronouncer, pronouncing each word, its language of origin, definition, and usage in a sentence. Spellers then type their spelling of each word using the computer keyboard. They may correct their spellings as much as they wish until they complete the entire test.

Because the spellers do not take the test at the same time, they are absolutely prohibited from discussing Round One words with anyone, including their parents and official escorts. To do so would be cause for disqualification according to the rules.

Each correctly spelled score word on the Round One written test is worth one point. Round Two and Three

Round Two is an oral round, in which spellers spell a word from the Bee's official dictionary, Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, which has over 476,000 entries. Every speller participates and has a chance to take the stage. A correct

oral spelling is worth three points. In 2010, the words in Rounds Two and Three were selected from lists of words provided to the spellers to study a few months prior to the competition.

The judges total scores from the first three rounds to determine scores. The maximum possible is 31. The top 50 spellers qualify for Round Four.

Round Four onward

Beginning in Round Four, each speller participates in a single-elimination oral round, where they receive one word to spell. A speller who spells incorrectly is eliminated; otherwise, they move on to the next round.

The Consolidated Word List consists of all words used in the National Bee as far back as 1950, including various study lists published by Scripps since then. Nearly 800 pages and 24,000 words long, the Consolidated Word List is intended for those who have already mastered the words in Spell It!. The Consolidated Word List is a helpful study aide for the Round One computer test and Rounds Four-end of the National Bee, as well as for the "surprise" words in regional and local bees.

Remaining Rounds

Rounds continue until a champion is declared. If, at the end of a particular round, there is only one speller remaining, that speller must correctly spell one additional word to win. If they misspell the word, all spellers present at the beginning of the previous round return for another round. If there are two or three spellers remaining at the beginning of a round, the pronouncer moves to the Championship Words section of the word list. Spellers alternate spelling words from this list of 25 words until only one remains. However, if all 25 Championship Words are exhausted before a champion is declared, then all remaining spellers are declared co-champions.

Regulations of oral rounds

Starting in 2004, the Bee adopted new rules. A speller is given two minutes and thirty seconds from when a word is first pronounced to spell it completely. The first two minutes are Regular Time; the final thirty seconds are Finish Time. During this time limit, a speller is allowed to ask the pronouncer for the word's:

(Definition Part of speech Use in a sentence Language(s) of origin Alternate pronunciations Root )

A chime signals that regular time has expired, and the judges inform the speller that Finish Time has begun. No timing devices are allowed onstage. The speller may make no more requests to the pronouncer, and must begin spelling the word. Any speller who exceeds the time limit is automatically eliminated. A speller is allowed to start over spelling a word, but if they change the letters already said, it counts as a misspelling and causes automatic elimination.

Champions and winning words

Prizes

The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee receives a $30,000 cash prize and an engraved loving cup trophy from Scripps, and a lot of things……

All spellers receive Webster's Third New International Dictionary, …… and a cash prize from Scripps. These cash prizes are determined based on the round in which the speller is eliminated. They range from $100 for a speller eliminated before the Quarterfinals to

$12,500 for the second place finisher.

Purpose

to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.

Scripps National Spelling Bee

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States. It is the nations largest and longest –running education promotion, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scripps Company and is held the week following Memorial Day weekend, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center hotel in Oxon Hill, Maryland near Washington, D.C. It is open to students who have not yet completed the eighth grade, reached their 15th birthday, nor won a previous National Spelling Bee. Over the years, the competition has been opened to contestants all over the world. Participants from countries other than the United States must be regional spelling-bee winners as well.

History

The National Spelling Bee was formed in 1925 as a consolidation of numerous local spelling bees, organized by The Courier-Journal in Louisville and having nine competitors. Frank Neuhauser won the first National Spelling Bee held that year, by successfully spelling "gladiolus."

The origin of the word "bee" as used in "spelling bee" is unclear. "Bee" refers to "a gathering", where people join together in an activity. and the origin of this sense of "bee" is related to the word "been".

The Spelling Bee Competition

Qualifying Regional Competitions

To qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, a speller must win a regional competition. Each region may set its own rules for a spelling bee. Regional rules may not correspond exactly with the national spelling bee.

There are many books they can refer to: Spell it (officialstudy booklet), School Pronouner’s Guide (include some surprise word), Sponsor Bee Guide.

(To participate in the national competition, a speller must be sponsored. )

National competition format

Round One

Now referred to as the Round One Test, it consists of 50 words, 25 of which are deemed "score words". The score words are the only words that will count towards a speller's overall score, and their status is undisclosed until the actual results announcement. This test will be taken on a computer. Spellers use headphones to listen to a recording of Dr. Jacques Bailly, the Bee's official pronouncer, pronouncing each word, its language of origin, definition, and usage in a sentence. Spellers then type their spelling of each word using the computer keyboard. They may correct their spellings as much as they wish until they complete the entire test.

Because the spellers do not take the test at the same time, they are absolutely prohibited

from discussing Round One words with anyone, including their parents and official escorts. To do so would be cause for disqualification according to the rules.

Each correctly spelled score word on the Round One written test is worth one point. Round Two and Three

Round Two is an oral round, in which spellers spell a word from the Bee's official dictionary, Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, which has over 476,000 entries. Every speller participates and has a chance to take the stage. A correct oral spelling is worth three points. In 2010, the words in Rounds Two and Three were selected from lists of words provided to the spellers to study a few months prior to the competition.

The judges total scores from the first three rounds to determine scores. The maximum possible is 31. The top 50 spellers qualify for Round Four.

Round Four onward

Beginning in Round Four, each speller participates in a single-elimination oral round, where they receive one word to spell. A speller who spells incorrectly is eliminated; otherwise, they move on to the next round.

The Consolidated Word List consists of all words used in the National Bee as far back as 1950, including various study lists published by Scripps since then. Nearly 800 pages and 24,000 words long, the Consolidated Word List is intended for those who have already mastered the words in Spell It!. The Consolidated Word List is a helpful study aide for the Round One computer test and Rounds Four-end of the National Bee, as well as for the "surprise" words in regional and local bees.

Remaining Rounds

Rounds continue until a champion is declared. If, at the end of a particular round, there is only one speller remaining, that speller must correctly spell one additional word to win. If they misspell the word, all spellers present at the beginning of the previous round return for another round. If there are two or three spellers remaining at the beginning of a round, the pronouncer moves to the Championship Words section of the word list. Spellers alternate spelling words from this list of 25 words until only one remains. However, if all 25 Championship Words are exhausted before a champion is declared, then all remaining spellers are declared co-champions.

Regulations of oral rounds

Starting in 2004, the Bee adopted new rules. A speller is given two minutes and thirty seconds from when a word is first pronounced to spell it completely. The first two minutes are Regular Time; the final thirty seconds are Finish Time. During this time limit, a speller is allowed to ask the pronouncer for the word's:

(Definition Part of speech Use in a sentence Language(s) of origin Alternate pronunciations Root )

A chime signals that regular time has expired, and the judges inform the speller that Finish Time has begun. No timing devices are allowed onstage. The speller may make no more requests to the pronouncer, and must begin spelling the word. Any speller who exceeds the time limit is automatically eliminated. A speller is allowed to start over spelling a word, but if they change the letters already said, it counts as a misspelling and causes automatic elimination.

Champions and winning words

Prizes

The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee receives a $30,000 cash prize and an engraved loving cup trophy from Scripps, and a lot of things……

All spellers receive Webster's Third New International Dictionary, …… and a cash prize from Scripps. These cash prizes are determined based on the round in which the speller is eliminated. They range from $100 for a speller eliminated before the Quarterfinals to $12,500 for the second place finisher.

Purpose

to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.