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Spelling Bees: An American Tradition

By: John Cline

In the 7th grade I participated in a Scripps Howard annual spelling bee. I remember spending long hours with the official word list, practicing how to spell hundreds of unfamiliar words. The process didn’t just expand my vocabulary—it gave me a strong sense of self-discipline as a student.

Held in most schools throughout the U.S., the spelling bee is a longstanding American tradition. The first national one was organized in 1925, but they began in the 19th century as a way to reward students for learning the proper spelling of words. “Proper spelling” meant using words from Noah Webster’s famous Blue-Backed Speller,” a textbook that standardized American English. Today, participants in the National Spelling Bee must not be older than 15, or have passed the 8th grade. When Noah Webster wrote his spelling book over 200 years ago, most school children learned to spell by scratching out words on pieces of slate and shouting the answers back to their teachers. Webster thought this was a terrible way for children to learn, and so his textbook and the spelling bees that followed it were a major advancement in education. Spelling bees allowed exceptional students to stand out from their peers on the wooden benches.

But spelling is only one part of mastering the English language. For better or worse, words can be memorized without a student understanding what they mean. This is one of the reasons the Scripps Howard committee decided to add multiple-choice vocabulary tests to their competition last year. Some returning contestants were distressed by having to change how they prepared for the spelling bee. But others saw the wisdom in returning to Webster’s goal: to increase students’ understanding of language. Memorization alone is not enough anymore.

The change in rules makes the contest very different from the one I participated in years ago, but I applaud it. A good vocabulary is not just valuable for a scholar or an author, but for anyone who wants to thrive in any profession. Whether an engineer or the owner of a business, one must effectively communicate with others—even if the words are not as beautifully arranged as a poet’s.

Despite many students using computers to write their term papers, electronic “spell check” systems can only identify incorrectly spelled words. They cannot help you choose the best word. A time-honored tradition in American schools, the spelling bee is renowned for helping students build strong vocabulary skills. But the competition also helps students gain confidence, self-discipline, and the motivation to succeed.

The importance of mastering the English language has not diminished with time. About this, Noah Webster would be pleased. 

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