The Spelling Bee has a new stinger

Kidz News Spelling BeeSpellers beware! The United States National Spelling Bee has changed the rules of the spelling bee competition. Starting this year the contestants will not only have to be able to spell complicated 5 or 6 syllable words, but they will also have to know what the words mean.

In case you don’t have such an event where you live, let us explain: A spelling bee is a competition in which the contestants are asked to spell different words. The contestants can ask various things about the word, things like: what is the origin of the word, how is it used in a sentence…etc. By the way – Do you know what the abbreviation “etc” means and how is the real word spelled?

The New Rule:

The National Bee’s website suggests that they’ll not be asking the student to give the definition of the word, but it will be a simple multiple-choice question, something like this:

An heiress is a woman who:

a) inherits great wealth

b) owns a hot air balloon

c) accrues massive debts

d) tests new hair products

If you don’t know, the answer can be found somewhere at the bottom of the article.

Fun Facts:

The first National Spelling bee was held in Washington, D.C. in 1925. It was won by 11 year-old Frank Neuhauser. The winning word was: Gladiolus. And last year the winner was Snigdha Nandipati. The winning word was: Guetapens. Do you know what the winning words mean?

This year the final will be held on May 28th – May 30th in National Harbor, Maryland. There are 281 competitors.

There are various spelling bee organizations around the world. Here are some links:

National Spelling BeeTo visit the official US Spelling Bee site click on the logo:

 

 

 

Asia Spelling BeeFor the Spelling Bee site in Asia click on the logo:

 

 

 

Canadian Spelling BeeFor the Spelling Bee site in Canada click on the logo:

 

 

 

The Spelling Bee GameA fun Spelling Bee game to test your skills:

 

 

 

The correct answer: An heiress is a woman who: (a) inherits great wealth

 

Enjoy the last few minutes of the 2011 final. 14-year-old Sukanya Roy wins National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word ‘cymotrichous’ (meaning: having wavy hair). Might not be available in your viewing area:

 


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