The Scripps National Spelling Bee, a century-old tradition, is underway this week, featuring the English language's top spellers. The three-day competition begins Tuesday and concludes Thursday night.
First held in 1925, the bee returns to the nation's capital this year, taking place at Constitution Hall, blocks from the White House. This is the 98th edition; it was cancelled from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s champion will be the 111th, as the bee has ended in ties multiple times, including an eight-way tie in 2019.
ESPN NFL analyst and recent Celebrity Jeopardy! champion Mina Kimes joins the event as television host. The bee is broadcast and streamed on channels owned by Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company. Preliminary rounds stream on Tuesday on Scripps Sports Network and spellingbee.com from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET. Wednesday's quarterfinals stream from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and semifinals from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with tape-delayed semifinals on ION from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Finals broadcast Thursday on ION from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., also available on other Scripps-owned channels.
Spellers qualify through regional bees and must not have advanced beyond eighth grade or be older than 15. Contestants face preliminary rounds with words from a provided list, including a spelling round and a multiple-choice vocabulary round. Those advancing take a written spelling and vocabulary test, with top 100 or so finishers moving to quarterfinals. Words come from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary. Quarterfinals and semifinals involve oral spelling or vocabulary questions until about a dozen spellers reach finals. When two remain, a lightning-round tiebreaker called a 'spell-off' may determine the champion.
This year's bee has 247 spellers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories and five other countries: The Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Notable contenders include Sarv Dharavane of Georgia, who finished third last year as an 11-year-old fifth-grader; Shrey Parikh of California, who finished third in 2024 and has won several other spelling bees; Oliver Halkett of Los Angeles and Esha Marupudi of Arizona, both tied for seventh last year.
The winner receives a custom trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. First place includes $52,500 in cash, reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster, a custom trophy and commemorative medal, and $1,000 in flight credits from Delta Air Lines.
