HEF Spelling Bee Rules

Event Rules

What to Expect  

Participants will go to a specified registration location to check-in, receive their Spelling Bee t-shirt, be divided into rounds, and will then be given further instruction. Bee Keeper volunteers will be on hand to monitor participants while in this holding area. We ask that parents/guardians head to the auditorium at that time.

Bee Keeper volunteers will bring participants to the auditorium for competition one grade at a time. Teams will sit in a designated area of the auditorium and will be brought by round to the stage. There will be from one to three rounds of competition per grade depending on the number of participants. Other teams from that grade will be asked to remain seated and quiet during the competition. Bee Keepers volunteers will be available for bathroom runs as needed.

Spelling Bee Rules 

Each team will consist of three spellers and should choose one designated writer.

The moderator will pronounce the word, give the definition of the word, use it in a sentence, and pronounce the word once more. Spellers should listen closely as the word provided may be used in its plural form or in another verb tense.

The word will be repeated one additional time if requested by a team. If a team requests a word to be repeated, markers should be put down and the time clock will be stopped.

Team members should collaborate on the spelling of the word. Individual note pads and pencils will be provided at each table. The writer for each team will print the word legibly (i.e., large and neat letters) on the provided white board. All teams will complete the writing of the word within thirty (30) seconds and will be instructed to put down all markers at that time. A ten (10) second warning will be given.

All teams will display their white boards to the judges at the same time as directed by the moderator. If the judges cannot read a word they may ask a team to spell their word aloud. If the judges determine that at least one team has misspelled the word, the moderator will spell the word correctly before proceeding to the next word.

If a team misspells a word, they are eliminated. If all remaining teams spell the word incorrectly no one will be eliminated and a new word will be given. All teams in a round remain on the stage until the round is completed.

When only one team is remaining, that team will be declared the winner of that round. The winning team of each round will compete in the Championship Round until there is one winning team for the grade level. All teams are encouraged to stay until the conclusion of the competition for their grade even if they have been eliminated.

At the conclusion of a round, all teams should exit the stage before teams for the next round arrive. Bee Keeper volunteers will facilitate this process.

Members of the winning team at each grade level will receive a trophy.  Most (but not all) words used in the Spelling Bee will be selected from the National Spelling Bee Pronouncer’s Guide. The decisions of the judges are final.

Teams may not receive assistance from the audience or other sources at any time. If it is determined by the moderator, judges or HEF personnel that a team has received assistance, that team will be immediately eliminated from the competition.