spelling bee

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A spelling contest or competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell out words (orally, letter by letter); the individual or team spelling the most words correctly wins.

Word forms

spelling bee spelling bees

Etymology

From spelling + bee (“get-together, (social) gathering, contest”). (The earliest known evidence of the phrase in print dates back to 1850.)

Synonyms

spelldown spelling match

Related words

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