How spelling bee competitions work: most spellers start at a classroom or school bee, and champions advance through district and regional bees toward the national final.
A typical season runs from sign-ups in late summer and fall, through classroom and school bees in winter, district bees in mid-winter, regional bees in spring, to the national final in late spring. Timings vary by school district and region - check your school's announcements for your local schedule.
In a round, the pronouncer reads a word. The speller may ask for the definition, part of speech, language of origin, or an example sentence before spelling it aloud. Fifteen minutes of daily practice beats weekend marathons: match the difficulty to the stage, and drill your missed words.
Spelling Bee Hive is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any spelling bee organiser, publisher or dictionary.