The spelling bee is a spelling contest with a long history: spelling matches were recorded as early as 1808, the name "spelling bee" appears in print by 1850, and the first National Spelling Bee in the United States was held in 1925. This article covers how the contest works, who won first, and some interesting facts about it.
Chances are that at some point in school, you or someone you know took part in a spelling bee of some kind. But have you ever wondered where the contest comes from?
What is a spelling bee?
Bees are flying insects that make honey and pollinate plants, but the bee in "spelling bee" has nothing to do with them. Here, bee is an old word for a gathering of people who meet to work or compete together, as in a quilting bee. A spelling bee is a contest, not an insect that spells words.
The purpose of a spelling bee is to help people, especially students, learn new words and improve their spelling. It can also widen their vocabulary and teach them to use English correctly.
In a spelling bee, the contestants compete against each other and are asked to spell one word after another. The difficulty of the words depends on the age of the participants and the level of the contest. A contestant who misspells a word is out, and the winner is the last speller standing.
Spelling is only one side of correct writing. Do not miss spelling and grammar mistakes: what's the difference?
The very first spelling bee
Spelling matches between contestants were recorded as early as 1808, under the name "spelling match". The earliest known use of the phrase "spelling bee" in print dates from 1850.
The first National Spelling Bee was held in 1925, sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal. The winner was 11-year-old Frank Neuhauser, and the word that won him the contest was gladiolus.
Interesting facts about the contest
In 1941, the Scripps Howard News Service took over the sponsorship of the contest, and it was renamed the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. Later the name was shortened to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Its contestants come from across the United States and from several other countries. The first champion from outside the United States was Jody-Anne Maxwell from Jamaica, in 1998.
In 2014, the national bee ended in a tie for the first time since 1962. The judges ran out of words on the list for the final round, so the two finalists shared the title: Ansun Sujoe, a seventh-grader from Fort Worth, Texas, and Sriram Hathwar, an eighth-grader from Painted Post, New York. Ties then happened several more times, and in 2019 eight spellers shared the title. The bee has since added a timed tiebreaker, the spell-off, so that a single champion can be found.
The official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is Merriam-Webster's unabridged dictionary, with around 470,000 entries. Any of those words could come up in the contest. To find out when the next bee takes place, see the official website of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Why spelling bees still matter
However it all started, the spelling bee has helped children and adults all over the world learn new words. It also teaches correct spelling and the correct use of English. Competition is a strong motivation: it makes contestants want to win and be the best. So grab your dictionary and start getting ready for the next contest.
Worried about your own spelling? Then read these 3 spelling tips that actually help you spell better, or test yourself on the 289 words most commonly misspelled in English.