Win a Spelling Bee

Keep in mind that becoming the one to win the bee won't be easy. It would usually be the worthiest among the students to win, so if you want to win you have not only have to study more than your opponents, you have to study better than your opponents.

Steps

  1. Make sure you know what words will be in the spelling bee. The first thing you will need to do is to get the list of words that will be used in your spelling bee. If you aren't sure if your spelling bee has a study list, ask the adults or teachers running your spelling bee if there is a study guide.
  2. Start studying all of those words! The first thing you need to do after you receive your study guide, is to read every word aloud. Just doing this will briefly familiarize you with all of the words on the list. It is quite likely you will run into a word you do not know how to pronounce. When this happens, look it up on an online dictionary site (Merriam-Webster is a solid choice) that offers voice pronunciation. Now once you have learned how to say every word, go through the list once more and say each word aloud with confidence.
  3. Study without a guide. If your spelling bee doesn't have a study guide, try asking the adults or teachers who are running the spelling bee how they would recommend studying. If they say read a certain book, totally do that. Whatever the teachers say, is the best way of studying if your spelling bee doesn't have a study guide.
  4. Focus on the toughies. After you have read though each word twice, you should probably already know what words you already know, and which ones you need to totally learn.
    • Pick the top 10-20 hardest words and write them down on a piece of paper or a flashcard. Now, fold it up and put it in your pocket. Throughout the rest of your day, whenever you have the extra 5 minutes to study, take out the flashcard and look at the word, say the word, close your eyes, spell the word, and check it. You can also try writing down the word somewhere else and check it after
  5. Increase your vocab. In most spelling bees, after all of the words from the study guide have been spelled, and there are still two or more people in the bee, usually, the bee changes to any word from a specific dictionary. It would be quite handy to borrow or buy a copy of that dictionary. But even if you can't get that dictionary, there are still more ways you can prepare for the menacing final rounds.
  6. Play word games. If you aren't exactly a word nerd, "word games" might sound yawn-inducing. However, if you really want to win a spelling bee, you already have the interest in words so you should definitely give them a try. You can play Scrabble with your friends, or download Words with Friends on your phone. You can play crosswords in your newspaper, or play some vocabulary quizzes online.
  7. Try other ways to build up your vocab. A really great way to build up your vocab is to sign up for a "word of the day" E-mail list. Merriam Webster and Dictionary dot com offer this service. Reading sentences with tricky words is another good way to study. You effortlessly build up your vocabulary while having fun!
  8. Go the extra mile. If during the spelling bee you aren't allowed to ask for the language of origin, you can skip this step. However if you are allowed, keep reading! To go the extra mile to be extremely prepared for a word you even don't know, learn Greek and Latin roots.
    • If you aren't sure what that means, look at the words "telephone", "headphone" and "homophone". All have the mini word "phone" in them. The mini word "phone" comes from the Greek word "phonos" meaning sound. The word "tele" comes from well, the Greek word "tele" meaning "over a distance". So, the word telephone sort of means "sound over a distance". Since the words "headphone" and "homophone" both contain the mini word "phone", even if we don't know what the two words mean, we can take a good guess that it has something to do with sound. And they do, headphone(s) give well, head sound, and a homophone is when a word has 2 pronunciations. Homo is another mini word. Homo comes from the Greek word "homos" meaning "the same". You might recognize the mini word "homo" is words like homograph, homosexual, and homogeneous. All of which have something to do with something being the same. So far we have been calling these, "mini words". They are actually called roots.
    • There are plenty of Greek and Latin roots to learn. Some interesting ones being aqua- meaning water, and myrmec- meaning ant. Here is an example of when knowing Greek and Latin roots would come in handy. Let's say you get a word pronounced "mer-muh-kaw-lo-gee". You ask for the definition and the judge says "The scientific study of ants". Since you just learned that myrmec- means ant, that would give you a pretty good hint as to how to spell it. You also know that some words end in -ology when it's the study of something. You guess myrmecology, and you are right! All you need to do to start learning, is to do a Google search of "Greek and Latin roots". There is a difference between memorizing a word, and understanding a word.
  9. Relax! Don't forget to take breaks. If it is a big spelling bee with a big cash prize, it may seem like a bad idea to take breaks but studying too hard for too long will lead to stress, and fatigue (especially if it is taking away from your sleep time)
  10. Be confident during the bee. It's game time, baby! All of your hard work has come down to this. Almost every first time speller will be nervous. Most people will tell you to not be nervous, but it isn't just that simple. Take deep breaths, and walk up to the microphone with confidence. Take your time with the word. It isn't a race.

Tips

  • Flashcards will help you a ton! Write your words on them and have a family/friend test you!
  • If you are fortunate enough to receive a list of likely words, use it! Go over a certain amount of words every day (i.e., if there is 1,000, study 100 every day), and if you get words wrong, make a separate list with those words.
  • Be sure you study the words. Try apps or computer games so it can be fun to study instead of looking at a piece of paper all day. Make sure you study the whole entire list that the spelling bee person gave you to study.
  • If you need time to think, you can ask for the definition instead of just standing there.
  • Don't be afraid to ask for a sentence, origin, etc. It will help you tons!
  • When you are asked a word, it helps some people to write the word on their hand with their finger as if they are writing it.
  • If you have a list, don't go in the same order, unless you know exactly the order of words. Start from somewhere in the middle every time.
  • If you lose or if you don't make it, it might feel bad at first, but just remember that you shouldn't be too depressed about it. Congratulate the winner, and you will be a real winner too!
  • Learn the rules of the different origins. for example, in German, the "sh" sound is usually spelled with a "sch". In Latin, there are never "j" and it is always a "g"
  • Put a check next to the words you struggle with and focus on those words.
  • Don't listen to your opponent's word.
  • Keep calm and spell on!
  • When studying, it is helpful to write out each word 3-5 times. The second time, spell it without looking at your list, if you have one.
  • Find patterns in words. For example, marionette is Mario net te.
  • After you are done studying, call for someone to ask you the words and have you spell them out aloud.

Warnings

  • Don't get too upset if you lose. If you lose, it's not the end of the world. Learn from your mistakes and try better next time.

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Sources and Citations

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