How to Run a Spelling Bee: A Guide for Teachers and Schools

To run a spelling bee, choose a format, pick words by grade or year group, and give each adult a job: a pronouncer to read the words, one to three judges to rule on each answer, and a record keeper to track who is still in. Share the rules before you start. Each speller hears a word, may ask to hear it again or for its meaning or a sentence, and spells it aloud. A miss usually means going out at the end of the round, and the last speller must spell one more word, the championship word, to win. Allow 30 to 45 seconds a turn, so the first round with 26 spellers takes 15 to 20 minutes.

The rest of this guide takes those steps one at a time. It is written for teachers, and also works for parent volunteers and clubs. Where it says grade and students, UK and Australian teachers can read year group and pupils.

1. Decide the format

The format decides how long the bee takes and how many children are sitting out by the end. Pick it first, because everything else follows from it.

With one lesson and a class of 26, a full elimination bee is tight. Use a team bee, or hold a written round and run the final with the top 8 to 10.

2. Choose words by grade or year group

Start from what the class has already been taught. The first round should feel winnable, and the words should get harder each round. This table matches children of the same age across the three systems, and each link opens a word list for that level.

• Have enough words. Plan for about three words per speller, plus spares. A bee with 26 spellers uses about 70 words if a third go out each round, so have 100 ready.
• Put them in order. Fix the order before the day, easiest first, so nobody can say a child got an unfair word. Keep the hardest few back for the final and any tiebreak.
• Write out the meaning and a sentence. The pronouncer needs both for every word. A word that sounds like another (pair, pear) always needs its sentence.
• Decide about a study list. Many class bees hand out a list a week or two before and draw the early rounds from it. Keep a few unseen words for the final.
• Settle the spelling standard. Say in advance whether you accept both British and American spellings (colour and color). This matters in international schools and mixed classes.

For a printable list by grade and difficulty, try the spelling bee word generator. For harder rounds, use the commonly misspelled words or the hardest words to spell. There is more on pitching the level in spelling bee words by grade level.

3. Give everyone a role

• Pronouncer. Reads each word exactly as it is on the list, and gives the meaning and sentence when asked. Practices the hard words beforehand, keeps the same pace for every child, and shows no reaction to the answer.
• Judges (one to three). Follow the word on paper, listen to each letter and rule correct or incorrect. Use an odd number so there is always a majority. Their decision is final.
• Record keeper. Writes down each speller, word and result, tracks who is still in and marks the next word. This record settles any dispute later.
• Timekeeper (optional). Runs the clock if you use a time limit.
• Speller helper (school bees). Lines spellers up in order and keeps them calm off stage.

On your own in a classroom? Pronounce and judge yourself, and ask a teaching assistant, colleague or parent helper to keep the record. It is very hard to do all three at once and still listen to every letter.

4. Teach the speller procedure

Show the class what a turn looks like, then run one practice round with easy words, so nobody's first time at the front is the real thing.

1. Come to the front when called, and face the pronouncer.
2. Listen to the word.
3. Ask, if needed, to hear it again, or for its meaning or a sentence.
4. Say the word (encouraged, not required).
5. Spell it aloud, one letter at a time.
6. Say the word again (encouraged, not required).
7. Wait for the judge. Correct: back to your seat. Incorrect: hear the right spelling, and go back to your seat.

Formal bees often let spellers ask for the language of origin and the part of speech too. In a class bee you can leave those out.

5. Set the rules and read them aloud

These are the classic elimination rules, adapted for a classroom or school. Change what you need to, but write the rules down and read them out before the first word.

• The turn order is drawn at random and shown to everyone.
• Each speller gets one word a turn, the next on the list.
• A speller may stop and start again, but may not change letters already said or their order.
• One miss and you are out, or two for a younger class. Say which before you start.
• Nobody sits down until the round is over. If everyone left in a round misses, everyone stays in.
• If the pronouncer makes a mistake or the speller was given the wrong word, the speller gets a new word with no penalty.
• Time limit (optional): 30 or 60 seconds a word, starting when the word is first read.
• No help from the audience. Everyone gets a clap.
• The judges' decision is final. Any question must be raised by an adult before the next speller starts.

6. Handle ties and the last speller

Disagreements tend to come at the end of a bee, so decide this part in advance and include it in the rules you read out.

• Everyone left misses in the same round: they all stay in, and the next round starts.
• One speller is left: they must spell one more word, the championship word, to win.
• They miss the championship word: the spellers who went out in that round come back, and the bee carries on.
• Runner-up: the last speller to go out. If several went out in that round, they can share second place or spell off for it.
• Time or words run out: give the remaining spellers the same few hard words on paper. The most correct wins. If that is also a tie, share the title.
• Team bee tie: one sudden-death word per team.

7. Plan the timing

Allow 30 to 45 seconds a turn, including walking to the front. The whole-bee figures below assume about a third of the spellers go out each round, so easy words will make the bee run longer. Add five minutes for the rules and a practice round.

Running behind? Move to the harder words sooner. That is fairer than cutting the bee off, because every remaining speller still gets the same chance.

8. From class bee to school bee

Many schools run a bee in each class first, then bring the best spellers together. A simple way to do it:

1. Agree one rule sheet and a date range with the other teachers, so every class chooses its spellers the same way.
2. Run the class bees in the same week or two, each with words for its own grade or year group.
3. Send the top two from each class, the winner and the runner-up, to the school bee. With many classes, use a written round to narrow each grade down further.
4. Run the school bee in the hall or auditorium with a microphone. Ask someone other than the spellers' own teachers to pronounce and judge. If the ages are mixed, run separate lower and upper divisions, or start with easier words and let them get harder each round.
5. Going further? If your school's winner can go on to a regional or national bee through an official program, check its rules before the class bees start. It may set the dates, the word lists and who can take part.

9. Keep every child involved

In a class of 26, one child spells while 25 wait, and the wait gets longer for anyone who is out. These habits keep the whole room spelling.

• Write along. While one child spells aloud, everyone else writes the word on a mini whiteboard or paper and checks it when the answer is given. Children who are out keep going, and you can give a small prize for the best written score.
• Give out jobs. Children who are out can keep a tally of correct words or hold up the round number.
• Keep a miss gentle. Skip the buzzer. Say "good try", give the right spelling and thank the child by name.
• Plan for children who find this hard. A written round, a study list in advance or a second chance helps children with dyslexia, children still learning English and anyone anxious about speaking in front of others. Taking part at the front can also be a choice.

Running it on the big screen

Everything above works on paper. If you would rather not be the pronouncer, judge and record keeper all at once, the SpellCrush Class Spelling Bee does the reading and the record keeping while you judge. It is free to start, with no sign-up. It runs in one room, with the class watching one screen, so children don't need devices.

1. Set it up on your phone, tablet or laptop. Type your spellers' first names and pick a ready-made list by grade or year group, such as 4th grade or Year 4. It takes about two minutes, and tells you how many rounds your words will last.
2. Put it on the big screen. On a smartboard, interactive whiteboard, TV or projector, or any screen with a web browser, open spellcrush.fun/board. There is no login on the board. Type its code on your phone or scan its QR code. One laptop on a projector also works.
3. Run each turn from your phone. Tap to give the word. A recorded voice reads it with its meaning and a sentence (any word without a recording uses your browser's voice, and the setup tells you how many have one). Tap Correct or Incorrect, and the board shows the right spelling so the class can check their whiteboards.
4. Keep the record. Print the word sheet as your pronouncer's list, and download the results as a CSV or PDF afterwards.

Its Classic bee follows the rules in this guide: 1 or 2 mistakes, nobody sits down until the round is over, and a championship word at the end. See the class spelling bee rules and the step-by-step guide with screenshots.

What it costs

A full class of 26 is more than the 20 spellers a free account takes, so either run a written round first and bring your finalists to the board, or use Premium (up to 40 spellers). The board, phone remote, word sheet, write-along and results download come with every level. See Premium.

Team bee is part of tutor accounts, and those aren't open to new sign-ups at the moment. To run a team format today, use the paper version from step 1.

Frequently asked questions