Learn Spelling Bee Basics
UPDATED: 2:06 pm EDT May 21,
2009
Bee Basics
- It's officially the "Scripps National Spelling Bee."
- The competition started with 275 spellers.
- The spelling bee was founded in 1925. Scripps took over in 1941.
- Students must be younger than 16, as of June 1.
- No one above eighth grade can compete.
- Competitors must win a local spelling bee.
- National champs are automatically retired.
- All words come from Webster's Third International Dictionary, 2002 and addenda.
- The bee starts with a 25-word written test. Then all rounds are oral.
- Spellers are asked to pronounce the word before spelling. Judges can correct them.
- Pronunciation
- Definition
- Use of the word in a sentence
- Language of origin
- If a specific root is attached to the word, but they must define that root word and give language of origin. In other words, they can say, "Is that from the French word 'pain', meaning bread?"
- "Gladiolus" was the first winning word, in 1925. It's a plant.
- "Foulard," 1931. A type of fabric.
- "Promiscuous," 1937. Indiscriminate, especially sexually.
- "Vignette," 1951. A short scene or story.
- "Smaragdine," 1961. Relating to emeralds.
- "Narcolepsy," 1976. A sleep disorder.
- "Antediluvian,"1994. Ancient, extremely old.
- "Pococurante," 2003. Apathetic.
- "Autochthonous," 2004. Indigenous.
- "Appoggiatura," 2005. A musical term.
- Scripps itself admits the term "bee" is a language puzzle.
- The word "bee" has long been used for community gatherings like a "quilting bee."
- It dates back at least 240 years.
- Scholars once guessed "bee" was used because of the industrious nature of beehives.
- But more recently, researchers think its from an old English dialect in which "been" or "bean" means voluntary help for neighbors.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Jason Rodriguez is formally charged with first-degree murder and ordered to be held on no bond on charges he shot five people, killing one in a downtown office building on Friday.
| Arrest | Suspect
Images and hundreds of pages of documents related to the Casey Anthony case are released by the state attorney's office.
Ida has become a tropical storm again, with top winds of 45 mph, as it swirls in the Caribbean on a track that could bring it to the U.S. Gulf Coast next week.
A final police report into the murder-suicide that left a Heathrow family of four dead details the couple's former swinging lifestyle and a gambling habit.
Local 6 wants to keep you up to date on growing crime trends in our community and make you aware of ways you may be able to prevent being victimized.
Police release the name of the victim killed in a shooting at an Orlando high-rise and file first-degree murder charges against the suspected shooter. 
A South Carolina man caught on video having sex with a horse has been sentenced to three years in prison for abusing the animal.
Eric Flack goes inside a controversial swingers club in suburban Cincinnati.
Local 6 News, led by investigative reporter Mike Holfeld, will host an interactive experience on Monday at 6:30 p.m. with viewers, including a phone bank and online chat with homeowners association experts.
Witnesses at the Gateway Center in downtown Orlando describe what happened Friday afternoon when a gunman shot six people, killing one.
Hundreds of photos in the Casey Anthony case are released.
New images in the case against Casey Anthony are released; including never before seen images of Anthony in the Orange county Jail.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
