How to run a school spelling bee with this
You need a pronouncer (who reads the words), one to three judges, and a speller order. Paste the names in the order they will spell, or press Shuffle order and print the judge score sheet so everyone has the same list.
Paste your words easiest first. During the bee the pronouncer sees the speller, the word and its definition and sentence. When the speller finishes, the judges decide and you press C for correct or X for incorrect. The tool keeps track of who is out, when a round ends, and when someone has won. Pressed the wrong key? U takes it back.
For an audience, press A to open a second window and drag it to the projector. It shows the speller and the timer, and only shows each word after it has been spelled.
Spelling bee elimination rules in plain words
Every speller still in gets one word per round, in the same order each round. Misspell it and you are out, with one big exception: if nobody in a round spells correctly, everybody stays in for another round. Spellers who go out in the same round share a place.
The end is where bees differ. Under the Scripps suggested rules (the default here, and what Scripps now suggests for school and regional bees), the one speller who is right in a round wins at once. Older rules add a championship word: that speller must spell one more word to win, and a miss brings everyone from that round back. The older final two rule passes a missed word to the other speller, who must fix it and then spell one more. If your district hands out its own rules, pick the set that matches.
Sources: Scripps National Spelling Bee, Suggested Rules for Spelling Bees (rules 7 and 8), and the end-of-bee procedures many school and county bees still print. Your local rules always win.
Questions hosts ask
What happens if everyone misspells their word in a round?
Under the usual school rules, nobody is out. If no speller in a round gets their word right, they all stay in and a new round starts in the same order with new words. The tool does this for you and says so on the screen.
Does the last speller have to spell one more word to win?
Not under the current Scripps suggested rules: if only one speller in a round is right, they win straight away. Older rules, still used by some county bees, add a championship word: one more word to win, and a miss brings everyone from that round back. Check which one your bee uses.
How do you decide 2nd and 3rd place in a spelling bee?
Spellers who go out in the same round tie. The champion is 1st, the spellers out in the last round tie for 2nd, and so on back. If you need a single 2nd or 3rd place for prizes or the next level, run a short tiebreak bee between the tied spellers afterwards.
How many words do I need for a school spelling bee?
Plan on about five words per speller, plus a set of harder words for the end. A class of 25 usually needs 100 to 150. If the list runs out mid-bee, you can type in your own word for each turn or add more words without stopping the bee.
Where can I get a spelling bee word list?
Schools enrolled in the Scripps program get its official lists. Otherwise, use your grade-level spelling words, or build a list from words your students know plus harder ones for the final rounds. Paste it in with a definition and sentence for each word if you have them.
Can a speller start over after they begin spelling?
Under Scripps-style rules a speller may stop and start again, but may not change any letters or their order from what they already said. Spellers can ask for the word again, a definition, a sentence, the part of speech or the language of origin.
What if a speller arrives after the bee has started?
That is up to you and your judges. If you let them in, open Add a late speller beside the speller list. They join at the end of the order from the next round, and the turn record notes when they joined.
How do I show the bee on a projector?
Press Open audience screen, drag the new window onto the projector and make it full screen. It shows the round, the speller, a timer and each result, but hides the word until it has been spelled. You keep the word and the buttons on your laptop.
The sample bee uses made-up names and a short word list written for this site so you can try it out. It is not an official list.