Spelling Bee 50/50 Fundraiser
Objective: Raise awareness about illiteracy, raise funds for Read > Lead > Achieve, and have fun!
Materials:
Spelling Bee word list
Dictionary
Participant Name Cards (optional)
Information Flyers (optional)
Instructions
1. Select someone to be the Official for the spelling bee. This person will read the words, keep score, and check the
dictionary. Depending on how many participants you have, you can have a pronouncer, a dictionary keeper, and
even guest judges!
2. Collect entry fees for the spelling bee. Suggested donation is $5–$10 per participant. The winner will keep half of
the entry fees and the other half will be donated to Pi Beta Phi’s Literacy Fund.
3. Set the day for your Spelling Bee. The Bee can be over a lunch break at work, at a chapter dinner, in conjunction
with another event — be creative!
4. Prior to the event, the Official should familiarize herself with the words. Be sure to be confident in the
pronunciation.
5. The spellers line up or draw numbers to determine the order of spelling.
6. The Official should read the following instructions to the contestants:
a. Listen carefully to the Official as she pronounces the word.
b. Ask to have the word repeated if necessary.
c. When you understand the word, pronounce it, spell it, and say the word again.
d. You must say the word loudly enough for the Official to hear it.
e. The speller can ask to have the word used in a sentence.
(Use the dictionary to look up the word and use the sentence provided.)
7. The Official announces the word to be spelled. Speak slowly and clearly, without distorting the normal
pronunciation of the word. Repeat the word.
8. When the speller is sure she understands the word, she pronounces it, spells it and then says the word again.
9. The Official or judge(s) determines whether or not the word was spelled correctly.
10. If the correct spelling was given, the speller remains in the game.
11. If the spelling was incorrect, that speller is eliminated from the game. The next speller should attempt to spell the
word.
12. When there are only two spellers left, if one player misspells a word, the other player must spell that word
correctly, plus one more word to be declared the winner of the spelling bee.
13. Award the winner of the spelling bee 50% of the entry fees and bragging rights until next year!
ADDITIONAL NOTE: You may also want to consider …
• How much time spellers have to complete a word
• What questions the speller may ask the pronouncer (definition, origin)
• Whether spellers can start over on the spelling of a word
Word List
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
inane
relevant
impetuous
ambivalent
incriminate
access
plausible
interrupt
amicable
lucid
sultan
artichoke
adobe
mohair
borax
talc
arsenal
admiral
hazard
apricot
monsoon
average
gazelle
crimson
macramé
guitar
giraffe
elixir
zenith
algorithm
tamarind
carafe
parka
robot
mammoth
tundra
paprika
sable
polka
vampire
sputnik
cravat
marzipan
tahini
guru
seersucker
jungle
oolong
nirvana
cummerbund
juggernaut
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
mongoose
shampoo
typhoon
bamboo
jackal
bungalow
gunnysack
chutney
karma
pundit
loot
fiend
goatee
basmati
gingham
barrage
chagrin
manicure
altruism
bureaucracy
parfait
mystique
croquet
gorgeous
mirage
beige
motif
suave
ambulance
rehearse
leotard
prairie
entourage
boudoir
amenable
escargot
crochet
rapport
camouflage
genre
debacle
praline
magnolia
poinsettia
salmonella
tantalize
Geronimo
shrapnel
vulcanize
Frankenstein
diesel
91. Dracula
92. Madeleine
93. Fahrenheit
94. Narcissistic
95. dahlia
96. angst
97. pretzel
98. nosh
99. streusel
100. wanderlust
101. schnauzer
102. lederhosen
103. gestalt
104. gestapo
105. bratwurst
106. knapsack
107. poltergeist
108. noodle
109. strudel
110. hamster
111. dachshund
112. seltzer
113. schadenfreude
114. weimaraner
115. blitzkrieg
116. gesundheit
117. glockenspiel
118. Rottweiler
119. percolate
120. meticulous
121. fastidious
122. curriculum
123. omnivorous
124. obsequious
125. transect
126. precipice
127. susceptible
128. condolences
129. soliloquy
130. accommodate
131. pernicious
132. efficacy
133. visceral
134. babushka
135. kielbasa
136. maelstrom
137. wainscot
138. toboggan
139. succotash
140. icicle
141. heifer
142. sayonara
143. karaoke
144. enthusiasm
145. homogeneous
146. synonym
147. hierarchy
148. hedonism
149. mnemonic
150. prosciutto
________________________
50/50
Spelling Bee
Enter the Read > Lead > Achieve Spelling Bee for a
chance to win 50% of the entry fees!
Proceeds to benefit Pi Beta Phi’s Literacy Fund
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