As we roll on toward Bee Week, it's time for all of our loyal grammar police cadets to arm themselves for the battles ahead π€£
#FridayFunnies
As we roll on toward Bee Week, it's time for all of our loyal grammar police cadets to arm themselves for the battles ahead π€£
#FridayFunnies
This year is the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Bee, when Tim Kneale beat out a then-record number of 87 spellers to capture the trophy. Tim got a hero's welcome back home in New York, then went on to earn a degree in chemical engineering from MIT. Today, he's president at TOPAS Advanced Polymers.
March is Women's History Month, and we celebrate every girl brave enough to take the Bee stage, and all 53 young ladies who have won the Scripps National Spelling Bee β from Pauline Bell, the first female champion in 1926, to 2021 champion Zaila Avant-garde and 2022 champion Harini Logan. #inspiring
Happy birthday to 2018 Bee Champion Karthik Nemmani! π 8 years ago, he out-spelled a field of 515 competitors β one of the largest in Bee history. Today, heβs using that brainpower at The University of Texas at Austin, set to earn his degree in Computer Science this spring. Happy Birthday, Champ!
Students around the country are punching their tickets to the Scripps National Spelling Bee!
π Abhinav Bere, Midland Reporter-Telegram Regional Bee in Texas
β€οΈ Oscar Quezada, South Dakota State Spelling Bee
π Naithik Yankarla, Ector County ISD Regional Bee in Texas
See you all in Washington D.C.! π
Punctuation, or the lack thereof, can be perilous. π Especially when teeth are involved.
#FridayFunnies
Happy birthday to Scott Isaacs, 1989 Bee champion! Scottβs win was just the beginning of a life fueled by curiosity, learning, and a love of words. Heβs built a career both diverse and inspiring β serving as a healer, educator, mentor, and global ambassador for spelling.π Happy birthday Scott! β€οΈ
Weβre not saying we wrote a coffee-table book about the Beeβ¦but we did write a coffee-table book about the Bee.ππ To celebrate 100 years of spelling highs and heartbreaks, we created a gorgeous hardcover packed with unforgettable moments. Get your piece of Bee history at https://bit.ly/4jzuk0W π
It's not often the same speller has both the first and last word at the Bee. But in 1948, Jean Chappelear from Ohio was Speller 1, so she got the first word, then tackled the final word "psychiatry" for the title β the longest Bee in history to that point, bookended by the brilliance of Jean. π
This month, Kelly Clarkson announced that @kellyclarksontv.bsky.social will wrap after this season. Weβre grateful for the joy sheβs brought to the Bee community, spotlighting spellers with her annual segment, βKellyβs Spellys.β Thank you for being such a good friend to spellers everywhere, Kelly. π
Game night, but make it wordy. π Bee Bingo is our favorite way to sneak learning into family fun. Instead of calling numbers, players tackle words by spelling/defining them, finding synonyms, or using them in a sentence. Get five in a row and victory is yours. π: https://spellingbee.com/bee-bingo.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Misspell a word
And itβs goodbye to you ππ
Happy Valentineβs Day to the real ones who know romance is temporary, but correct spelling is forever. π
Bee mine, Valentine! Send one of our Word Nerd-approved cards to your honey, including special messages from some of our officials. ππ
In 2001 and 2002, North Dakota's Kevin Moch made it to the Finals, finishing in 3rd place in 2002.π He graduated from Princeton in 2010, then earned his PhD from Cal Berkeley.
A Bee Week volunteer since 2006, Doc Moch took the microphone as an associate pronouncer in 2024. Thanks, Doc! β€οΈ
From Bee Week to the Super Bowl! ππ In 2016, Lexi Ehle was a finalist in our first Spellebrity Video Contest, which earned her a trip to the 2016 Bee. These days, Lexi is a photographer for the New England Patriots β and she was there capturing the action on Super Bowl Sunday. Way to go, Lexi!
When head coach Curt Cignetti took over the Indiana University football program, things were so bad, they couldn't even get the jerseys spelled correctly. Now they are National Champions.
Don't be afraid to dream big. Congratulations Hoosier Nation!
#MotivationMonday
π Happy birthday to Erin Howard, one of the legendary Octochamps! Erinβs Bee journey started in 2nd grade and carried her to the national stage four times, with four Alabama State Spelling Bee titles along the way. Happy birthday, Erin!π
πΈ: AP/Cliff Owen
Happy birthday to Jairam Hathwar, 2016 Bee Co-Champion!π After 24 unforgettable championship rounds, Jairam and Nihar Janga shared the crown in one of the most dramatic finishes in Bee history. Weβll always remember where we were for that one.π
It's National #NewsLiteracyWeek! This year's focus is helping students develop the skills they need to separate facts from falsehoods in an online ecosystem flooded with AI-generated content.
Join @newslit.org, @ewscrippsco.bsky.social, @usatoday.com and USA TODAY Network: https://bit.ly/4qdlJUo
Happy birthday to noted spelling bee enthusiast Justin Timberlake! π JT famously competed in the 1995 Memphis-Shelby County Regional Spelling Bee, misspelling "wharf" to get eliminated. He got over it, but we bet he still remembers the word that knocked him out. π
Tyler from Miller Middle School in Iowa has earned a spot at his regional bee, hosted by our new Regional Partner, Living History Farms, on March 7! π We're grateful for all the teachers, principals, bee coordinators and Regional Partners who make the magic happen! β€οΈ
https://bit.ly/4q54EMc
Happy Birthday to Dr. Jacques Bailly, our incomparable Head Pronouncer β keeper of the roots, master of the pause, and the calm voice behind the biggest moments on the Bee stage. Thank you for the wisdom, wit, and heart you bring to every word (and every speller). May your year be joyously defined.π
We're in the homestretch! School enrollment for this year's Bee program ends this Friday, January 30. Don't miss this time-tested and time-honored rite of passage for school kids around the world. They'll never forget it. Enroll today at https://spellingbee.com/enroll. π
ποΈ The Bee has a new hive! We're thrilled to announce the 2026 Bee will be held at the iconic DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.! We canβt wait to welcome the nationβs top spellers to our new stage in the heart of the capital! π
Welcome to the hive, Peoria Public Library! We're proud to announce that students in Central Illinois now have a new Bee Regional Partner. The Peoria Public Library has stepped up to host the area's regional spelling bee, with the winner advancing to our national stage in Washington D.C.! π
Happy birthday George Merriam, born on this date in 1803! Together with his brother Charles, George purchased the rights to Webster's Dictionary after Noah Webster's death. Their company would eventually become Merriam-Webster, Inc., which would eventually become the official dictionary of the Bee.π
"Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service." β Martin Luther King, Jr.
#MLKDay
School enrollment for the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee ends two weeks from today! Don't miss the chance to give your students an unforgettable experience. We'll help you every step of the way! Sign up today at https://spellingbee.com/enroll and join the fun!
On this day in 1806, Noah Webster published his very first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. It was the first truly American dictionary, adding 5,000 words to the established British dictionary of the time, including words like hickory, skunk, and succotash. π
You probably know the word βxanthosisβ is part of a crucial plot point in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee. π But did you know it was the actual winning word at the 1995 Bee? Justin Tyler Carroll from Arkansas won it on that word, and the movie writers paid tribute by including it in the script. β€οΈ