spelling bee

noun

1. a spelling competition won by the individual or team spelling the greatest number of words correctly; spelldown.

spelling bee

noun

1. a contest in which players are required to spell words according to orthographic conventions

Word History and Origins

Origin of spelling bee¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of spelling bee¹

C19: from bee ²

Example Sentences

It’s an origin tale that Palmer, 31, has referenced often over her two-decade career — one that began with her breakout role as a precocious spelling bee champion in 2006’s “Akeelah and the Bee” and was revitalized with her critically acclaimed turn in Jordan Peele’s 2022 horror film “Nope.”

From Los Angeles Times

Subscribers are expressing solidarity online by sharing screenshots of their now-broken Wordle/Spelling Bee/crossword streaks, following a guild request for users to boycott the NYT Games app.

From Slate

“Citizen Nation” vibrates with the same earnest energy that made 2002’s spelling bee documentary “Spellbound” so memorable, although where that documentary uses its competitors’ stories to test whether hard work and self-assuredness are surefire keys to success, this series doesn’t bother with such fantasy.

From Salon

Waiting for a concert to begin, she’ll chip away at crosswords, sudoku grids and the New York Times' Spelling Bee to keep her nerves at bay.

From BBC

Cashore won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1954 at age 14.

From Seattle Times