Scripps National Spelling Bee

Happy birthday to 2018 Bee Champion Karthik Nemmani! 🐝 8 years ago, he out-spelled a field of 515 competitors – one of the largest in Bee history. Today, he’s using that brainpower at The University of Texas at Austin, set to earn his degree in Computer Science this spring. Happy Birthday, Champ!

Students around the country are punching their tickets to the Scripps National Spelling Bee!

🐝 Abhinav Bere, Midland Reporter-Telegram Regional Bee in Texas
❤️ Oscar Quezada, South Dakota State Spelling Bee
🏆 Naithik Yankarla, Ector County ISD Regional Bee in Texas

See you all in Washington D.C.! 🙌

Punctuation, or the lack thereof, can be perilous. 🐝 Especially when teeth are involved.

#FridayFunnies

Happy birthday to Scott Isaacs, 1989 Bee champion! Scott’s win was just the beginning of a life fueled by curiosity, learning, and a love of words. He’s built a career both diverse and inspiring – serving as a healer, educator, mentor, and global ambassador for spelling.🐝 Happy birthday Scott! ❤️

We’re not saying we wrote a coffee-table book about the Bee…but we did write a coffee-table book about the Bee.🐝📚 To celebrate 100 years of spelling highs and heartbreaks, we created a gorgeous hardcover packed with unforgettable moments. Get your piece of Bee history at https://bit.ly/4jzuk0W 📖

It's not often the same speller has both the first and last word at the Bee. But in 1948, Jean Chappelear from Ohio was Speller 1, so she got the first word, then tackled the final word "psychiatry" for the title – the longest Bee in history to that point, bookended by the brilliance of Jean. 🙌

This month, Kelly Clarkson announced that @kellyclarksontv.bsky.social will wrap after this season. We’re grateful for the joy she’s brought to the Bee community, spotlighting spellers with her annual segment, “Kelly’s Spellys.” Thank you for being such a good friend to spellers everywhere, Kelly. 🙌

Game night, but make it wordy. 🐝 Bee Bingo is our favorite way to sneak learning into family fun. Instead of calling numbers, players tackle words by spelling/defining them, finding synonyms, or using them in a sentence. Get five in a row and victory is yours. 🔗: https://spellingbee.com/bee-bingo.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Misspell a word
And it’s goodbye to you 🐝💔

Happy Valentine’s Day to the real ones who know romance is temporary, but correct spelling is forever. 😄

Bee mine, Valentine! Send one of our Word Nerd-approved cards to your honey, including special messages from some of our officials. 🐝💖

In 2001 and 2002, North Dakota's Kevin Moch made it to the Finals, finishing in 3rd place in 2002.🐝 He graduated from Princeton in 2010, then earned his PhD from Cal Berkeley.

A Bee Week volunteer since 2006, Doc Moch took the microphone as an associate pronouncer in 2024. Thanks, Doc! ❤️

From Bee Week to the Super Bowl! 🐝🏈 In 2016, Lexi Ehle was a finalist in our first Spellebrity Video Contest, which earned her a trip to the 2016 Bee. These days, Lexi is a photographer for the New England Patriots – and she was there capturing the action on Super Bowl Sunday. Way to go, Lexi!

When head coach Curt Cignetti took over the Indiana University football program, things were so bad, they couldn't even get the jerseys spelled correctly. Now they are National Champions.

Don't be afraid to dream big. Congratulations Hoosier Nation!

#MotivationMonday

🐝 Happy birthday to Erin Howard, one of the legendary Octochamps! Erin’s Bee journey started in 2nd grade and carried her to the national stage four times, with four Alabama State Spelling Bee titles along the way. Happy birthday, Erin!🎂

📸: AP/Cliff Owen

Happy birthday to Jairam Hathwar, 2016 Bee Co-Champion!🐝 After 24 unforgettable championship rounds, Jairam and Nihar Janga shared the crown in one of the most dramatic finishes in Bee history. We’ll always remember where we were for that one.🏆

It's National #NewsLiteracyWeek! This year's focus is helping students develop the skills they need to separate facts from falsehoods in an online ecosystem flooded with AI-generated content.

Join @newslit.org, @ewscrippsco.bsky.social, @usatoday.com and USA TODAY Network: https://bit.ly/4qdlJUo

Happy birthday to noted spelling bee enthusiast Justin Timberlake! 🐝 JT famously competed in the 1995 Memphis-Shelby County Regional Spelling Bee, misspelling "wharf" to get eliminated. He got over it, but we bet he still remembers the word that knocked him out. 😄

Tyler Beare takes the crown at Miller Middle School spelling bee Nineteen students entered the Miller Middle School spelling bee finals held at the Black Box Theater inside the B.A. Niblock Orpheum Welcome Center on Tuesday afternoon, but only one — eighth grader T...

Tyler from Miller Middle School in Iowa has earned a spot at his regional bee, hosted by our new Regional Partner, Living History Farms, on March 7! 🐝 We're grateful for all the teachers, principals, bee coordinators and Regional Partners who make the magic happen! ❤️

https://bit.ly/4q54EMc

Happy Birthday to Dr. Jacques Bailly, our incomparable Head Pronouncer – keeper of the roots, master of the pause, and the calm voice behind the biggest moments on the Bee stage. Thank you for the wisdom, wit, and heart you bring to every word (and every speller). May your year be joyously defined.🎂

We're in the homestretch! School enrollment for this year's Bee program ends this Friday, January 30. Don't miss this time-tested and time-honored rite of passage for school kids around the world. They'll never forget it. Enroll today at https://spellingbee.com/enroll. 🐝

🗞️ The Bee has a new hive! We're thrilled to announce the 2026 Bee will be held at the iconic DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.! We can’t wait to welcome the nation’s top spellers to our new stage in the heart of the capital! 🐝

Welcome to the hive, Peoria Public Library! We're proud to announce that students in Central Illinois now have a new Bee Regional Partner. The Peoria Public Library has stepped up to host the area's regional spelling bee, with the winner advancing to our national stage in Washington D.C.! 🐝

Happy birthday George Merriam, born on this date in 1803! Together with his brother Charles, George purchased the rights to Webster's Dictionary after Noah Webster's death. Their company would eventually become Merriam-Webster, Inc., which would eventually become the official dictionary of the Bee.🐝

"Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service." – Martin Luther King, Jr.

#MLKDay

School enrollment for the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee ends two weeks from today! Don't miss the chance to give your students an unforgettable experience. We'll help you every step of the way! Sign up today at https://spellingbee.com/enroll and join the fun!

On this day in 1806, Noah Webster published his very first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. It was the first truly American dictionary, adding 5,000 words to the established British dictionary of the time, including words like hickory, skunk, and succotash. 📖

You probably know the word “xanthosis” is part of a crucial plot point in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee. 🐝 But did you know it was the actual winning word at the 1995 Bee? Justin Tyler Carroll from Arkansas won it on that word, and the movie writers paid tribute by including it in the script. ❤️

Happy birthday to Arvind Mahankali, champion of the 2013 Bee! Arvind finished 3rd at the Bee in 2011 and 2012, before winning it all. After high school, Arvind earned his bachelor's in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University and is now pursuing his PhD at Stanford. Happy birthday Arvind! 🎉

Some spelling mistakes are just impossible to advoid. 🤣 #FridayFunnies

The Bee is accepting applications to join our College Crew for Bee Week 2026! Crew members answer questions, set up event venues, serve as ushers, and more. It's also a chance to put an unforgettable experience on your resume. Apply by January 23 at www.spellingbee.com/college-crew! 🐝