8 d. ago Faizan Zaki, 13, rebounds from stunning gaffe to win National Spelling Bee crown

Texas teen Zaki wins 97th Scripps National Spelling BeeSpelling Bee quiz: can you beat the past years’ winners?Gallery: Best shots from the National Spelling BeeFaizan Zaki nearly threw away his opportunity to go from runner-up to champion at the Scripps National Spelling Bee with a shocking moment of overconfidence. Given a second chance, he seized the title of best speller in the English language.The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who lost in a lightning-round tiebreaker last year, outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title on Thursday night, including two that he let back into the competition after his own careless flub. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Faizan Zaki wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee a year after finishing runner

Faizan Zaki has seized the title of best speller in the English language at the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Politics

8 d. ago National Spelling Bee finals: nine finalists compete for orthographic glory – live updates

Nine finalists compete for $50,000 top prize at 8pm ETHow ‘womyn’ dragged the Bee into the US culture warsSpelling Bee quiz: can you beat the past years’ winners?Reach Bryan on Bluesky at @BryanAGraham or emailIt’s time! The nine finalists have taken the stage. Esha Marupudi is first and she nails isopag, an equiglacial line on a map or chart that connects the points where ice is present for approximately the same number of days in winter. Next up is Oliver Halkett and he confidently spells corbicula. Sarvadnya Kadam has no problems with dolabrate. Now it’s Sarv Dharavane, the 11-year-old who is the youngest of the nine finalists. His word is ethology, defined as the scientific and objective study of animal behavior especially under natural conditions. After a few questions for head pronouncer Dr Jacques Bailly, he coolly drills it. Four up, four down: a roaring start heading into the first commercial break.The majority of entrants in the National Spelling Bee are from the US, haili...

Politics

1 week ago Anger as National Spelling Bee introduces new words to mix up competition

For those who might find the new words unfair, Scripps has a message: Study harder

Politics

1 week ago AP PHOTOS: Top young spellers compete in 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Culture

1 week ago To win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, contenders must also master geography

There are times when the Scripps National Spelling Bee transforms into a geography bee

Politics

1 week ago How the word ‘womyn’ dragged the National Spelling Bee into the US culture wars

In an age of division where authoritarianism is seeping into every corner of American discourse, the Spelling Bee offers up a reminder of what America should truly beWe’re living through turbulent times, to say the least. Authoritarianism and fascism threaten the United States. The conspiracy thinking, paranoia and manufactured outrage so characteristic of QAnon and the big lie about the 2020 election have colonized our political discourse like a fungus. Even the National Spelling Bee, a cultural institution which will be celebrating its centennial this year and which is generally exempted from the far right’s paranoid vitriol, hasn’t been immune. Earlier this year, a foofaraw erupted when right-wing outlets reported on the acceptance of “womyn” as an alternate spelling of “women” in the regional-level wordlist which the National Spelling Bee issues each year.The reason “womyn” was included in the wordlist wasn’t some shadowy feminist plot by the Bee’s organizers. The competition si...

Events

1 week ago Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes

The best young spellers in the English language are set to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year

Politics

1 week ago National Spelling Bee champions say it set them up for success: 'You attain a level of mastery'

The Scripps National Spelling Bee celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and former champions say the bee has changed their lives for the better because it taught them they can do hard things

Politics