the word explorer

Here I am doing an interview with Scripps Newsy.

Spellers getting ready to take the written preliminary test.

What exactly are we doing with G-Wiz and Slapshot? You’ll have to watch the Bee Finals on Thursday night to find out!

This morning, all 285 spellers sat for the preliminary written exam; this is Round 1 of the Bee. There were 12 spelling words worth one point each and 12 vocabulary words also worth one point each. There were an additional two vocabulary words worth 3 points each – one of these words came from a study list provided by the Bee while the other one came from the dictionary. The total number of points that can be accrued in Round 1 is 30.

The onstage rounds start tomorrow morning; each of the words in Round 2 and Round 3 is worth 3 points each. Of course, if a speller misses onstage, he/she is eliminated from the competition. Up to fifty spellers with the most number of points after Round 3 move on to the Finals which are on Thursday morning and evening. Finalists will be announced after Round 3 tomorrow afternoon!

This evening, all the spellers will be treated to a viewing of the top five videos of the Spellebrity Video Contest. The videos were created by some talented young filmmakers with the theme of encouraging kids to read more.

Addendum: If you would like to test your spelling and vocabulary skills, take the test!