spelling bee

noun

|Updated on: 7 May 2018

Definition of spelling bee

: a spelling contest in which contestants are eliminated as soon as they misspell a word

See spelling bee defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of spelling bee from the Web

In a world of spelling bees and academic quiz bowls that test students’ book smarts, one competition focuses on something purely practical — consumer skills.

— darcel rockett, chicagotribune.com, "In a world of academic tests, these West Chicago High School students focus on ‘life smarts'," 25 Apr. 2018
The Tony Award-wining play with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin presents one high-pressure spelling bee as a microcosm of life: full of drama, love, loss and dreams.

— laura demarco, cleveland.com, ""The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is poignant and F-U-N (review)," 21 Apr. 2018
For the 13th year, the county spelling bee hosted district-level spelling champions in fourth through sixth grades throughout L.A. County, and the children competed for participation certificates, gift bags and trophies for the top three winners.

— jeff landa, latimes.com, "Glendale sixth-grader wins county spelling bee, eyes state title," 3 Apr. 2018
Competitive by nature, Dash began competing in spelling bees after losing his kindergarten bee.

— emily k. coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "In unprecedented move, co-champions declared at end of Lake County Spelling Bee," 16 Mar. 2018
Mihika even watched other spelling bees that were held this year to see how difficult the off-list words were.

— anthony clark carpio, latimes.com, "John Muir Middle School student finishes second in spelling bee," 14 Mar. 2018
Sacramento-area girl reaches sixth round of National Spelling Bee A spelling bee journey: Hard work, nerves and a trip to D.C.

— marcos breton, sacbee, "How do you spell P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E? Some of California's smartest kids find out Wednesday | The Sacramento Bee," 7 Mar. 2018
Jane Wester: 704-358-5128, @janewester Prizes For her first-place finish in the Charlotte Observer’s spelling bee, Eva Vega wins an all-expenses paid trip for two to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., courtesy of the Charlotte Observer.

— jane wester, charlotteobserver, "The last word in the Observer’s spelling bee was a shade of yellow. Can you spell it?," 19 Feb. 2018
Students at Chagrin Falls Middle School competed for 22 rounds at their spelling bee on February 1.

— charlene paparizos, cleveland.com, "Chagrin Falls Middle Schoolers Compete in Spelling Bee: Community Voices," 15 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spelling bee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.