SOMMER SPELLING BEE RULES AND PROCEDURES
1. Students will receive a contestant number which will establish their spelling order. The
Spelling bee is conducted in rounds. Each speller remaining in the spelling bee at the start of a
round spells one word in that round.
2. The spelling bee is conducted orally. A scratch pad and pencil will be available on the table
for contestants to write the spelling word if they wish, but the speller must then spell the word
orally for competition. Paper and pencil are not allowed except as provided on the table.
3. The pronouncer will pronounce the word. Spellers are asked to say the word before and
after spelling the word. This lets the judges know the speller heard the word and lets them
know when the speller is finished spelling the word. When spelling a word, the speller should
indicate words with apostrophes, capital letters, and other punctuation. However, a speller will
not be disqualified for failing to pronounce the word either before or after spelling it.
4. Spellers may request the pronouncer to repronounce the word, use the word in a sentence,
and give its definition or part of speech. The pronouncer will grant the requests until the judges
agree that the word has been made reasonably clear to the speller.
5. The speller should face the judges and make an effort to utter each letter distinctly and loud
enough to be understood by the judges. Spellers are responsible for any misunderstanding of
the word unless the pronouncer never provided a correct pronunciation or provided incorrect
information regarding the definition or part of speech.
6. If a word has one or more homonyms (words that are spelled or pronounced the same but
have different meanings), the pronouncer will indicate which word is to be spelled by defining
the word. The speller must spell the word as defined. If, inadvertently, no definition of a
homonym is given, the correct spelling of either word shall be accepted as correct
7. Words will be pronounced according to the diacritical markings in the Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary.
8. Once a speller starts to spell a word, he/she will be given no opportunity to change the letters
or order once pronounced. They may stop and start over; retracing the spelling from the
beginning, but the speller cannot change the order or sequence of letters in their
retracing. If letters or their order is changed in the respelling, the speller will be disqualified.
9. A speller may say “pass” on a word he/she does not know. The “pass” is the same as a
miss, and the speller will be eliminated.
10. Upon incorrectly spelling a word, the speller immediately drops out of the contest. The
missing of a word will be indicated by the ringing of a bell by the judges. The pronouncer will
correctly spell the word and the speller will return to his/her seat on the stage and turn his/her
number around. A new word will be given to the next speller in line. At the completion of the
round, all students that misspelled a word during that round will leave the stage and return to
the audience.
11. End-of-bee procedure: If all of the spellers remaining in a round misspell their word during
that round, all remain in the competition and a new round begins. If only one speller spells
correctly in a round, a new one-word round begins and the speller is given an opportunity to
spell the next word on the word list. If the speller succeeds in correctly spelling the word in the
one-word round, the speller shall be declared the winner. If, however, the speller misspells the
word in a one-word round, a new round begins with ALL the spellers who spelled correctly and
incorrectly in the previous round. These spellers will spell in their original order.
12. Judges uphold the rules and determine whether or not words are spelled correctly. Judges
may disqualify any speller who ignores a request to start spelling. The decision of the Judges
will be final in all questions. Any problem relating to the spelling of a word must be referred to
the judges immediately. No protest can be entertained after the contest has ended. Judges
can also participate in the exchange of information between the speller and pronouncer if they
feel that clarification is needed. The judges will listen carefully to the speller’s pronunciation of
the word; and if they sense that the speller has misunderstood the word, the judge’s work with
the speller and pronouncer until they are satisfied that reasonable attempts have been made to
assist the speller in understanding the word.
SPELLING BEE AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE
At the bee, it is appropriate to acknowledge the students who have prepared for this contest.
However, interruptions during the event are a distraction to the speller, pronouncer, and judges.
Please follow these simple guidelines as an audience member during the bee.
General Etiquette: No mouthing, calling out of letters, or help in any way may be offered to the
spelling bee participants. Spelling participants have studied and worked hard to be a part of this
spelling bee. Please extend participants the courtesy of not speaking or distracting them during
the competition.
Applause: Applause for the spellers is acceptable at the end of each round. Applause for an
individual speller is discouraged and causes a disruption in the bee.
Children: Children who are not participating in the bee are asked to sit quietly with their parents
or guardian. Young children may have difficulty sitting through a spelling bee. If a young
child becomes disruptive, we ask that you please exit the cafeteria as soon as possible.
Entering/Exiting the Cafeteria: To keep distractions to a minimum, please only enter and exit
the cafeteria at the end of a round. A break will be given during the bee to use the restrooms
and get a drink.
Cell Phones: We request that cell phones and pagers are turned off during the bee.
Photos of the event: We ask that during the bee flash photography is not used. If you take
photos without a flash during the bee, please take them from your seat in the cafeteria.
Thank You!