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

Avant-garde recalls looking through the list of national spelling bee participants with her father.

From Time

Then, as now, the national spelling bee was more than a contest of words.

From Time

Preliminary rounds, typically held in the days leading up to the spelling bee finals, had instead been held virtually over the past several weeks.

From Washington Post

It features a young girl at a spelling bee who is asked to spell “Hagan.”

From The Daily Beast

In an ad called “Spelling Bee,” a young child spells “Pryor” as “O-B-A-M-A,” to which the judge says, “Close enough.”

From The Daily Beast

Can Arvind Mahankali spell “knaidel” to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee?

From The Daily Beast

Indian-American Arvind Mahankali just won the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

From The Daily Beast

Arvind Mahankali of Queens was not yet of kindergarden age when he chanced to see the National Spelling Bee finals on television.

From The Daily Beast

There was a spelling-bee every Friday afternoon, for Sam the only endurable event of the school exercises.

From Project Gutenberg

Rosalie did not know that the teacher was to leave Tinkletown surreptitiously until after the spelling-bee.

From Project Gutenberg

This red delaine I wore to a spelling bee when I was about sixteen and I got a book for a prize for standing up next to last.

From Project Gutenberg

It had a good deal the look of a spelling-bee with a teacher who meant to stand no nonsense.

From Project Gutenberg

I have heard of a bee getting so far in his education as to become a "Spelling Bee."

From Project Gutenberg