Synonyms

spelling bee

American

noun

a spelling competition won by the individual or team spelling the greatest number of words correctly; spelldown.

spelling bee British

noun

a contest in which players are required to spell words according to orthographic conventions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

spelling bees

plural

Etymology

Origin of spelling bee

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Spelling bee organizers said last month they were postponing this year’s event, but they didn’t give a new date.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023