Q&A for How to Study for a Spelling Bee

Sounds like a good start! You will probably want to study both of those, or at least review them, during both the summer and fall so that you don’t have too much of a gap in study time and forget what you learned.

A simple Google search for word lists at that level will probably do the trick!

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and picture yourself spelling words correctly. Keep participating in spelling bees. The more bees you do, the less nervous you will become.

Record yourself on your phone saying the words, and then write them down while listening to the recording.

Take a deep breath. Think about the word, and try your hardest to spell it clearly and slowly. Don't worry what others think of you! Just do your best.

They probably won't laugh. It will be obvious that you are smart and an advanced speller for your age even if you don't win. If anyone laughs at you it will be because they're jealous. The important thing is that you prepare and try your best.

Do a little at a time, make a game out of it, and when you are done studying, treat yourself.

If she wins, your family will have two amazing spellers! If you think she has a chance to beat you, better start practicing!

Study the remaining words as hard as you can and just do your best. Remember, it's supposed to be fun!

No, you do not need to add those. You only need to spell out the letters, nothing else.

If it is a school spelling bee, they should have it online. If not, ask the spelling bee coordinator. If it is a non-list spelling bee, then you can't really study other than expanding your vocabulary.

While it would be great to win the spelling bee, your regular studies should come first if you have to make a choice. The bee is partially based on luck - no matter how much you study, if a word comes up you don't know, you're out. The time you spend studying for your exams, however, virtually guarantees you a better grade, and your grades are important for your future. When you apply to college, they'll be looking at your grades, not whether or not you won a spelling bee.

The only preparation is a lifetime of reading and paying attention to what you read.

Instead of being tense, be calm. Improve your vocabulary and be confident.

Don't worry about it. Just say the word, s-p-e-l-l it out, and repeat the word. If you mess up, ask if you can restart before the end of the word. Just try.

Listen to your mom. Ensuring that you study is one of your mom's jobs, and doing well in school is your main job. Just do your best.

If you don't have the list, check with a spelling bee coordinator if you're supposed to have the list. If the spelling bee just tests your vocabulary (and spelling of course), then study words on the level of the spelling bee. Extra hint - it always helps to me to write the word as I am spelling it.

Study as much as you can until bee time, even if you don't think it's enough. Focus on the words you think are the most difficult. When you get there, try your hardest and be prepared to accept a loss.

Try to spell it phonetically, while considering the difficulty level expected of it and its etymology.

Ask a teacher or your spelling bee coordinator for the dates and times.

First, relax. You still have some time. Divide your words in groups of twenty and give all the groups a number. Write on the calendar or in your diary which groups of words you are going to study when, gradually increasing the amount of groups. Study these words for about five minutes per group and study them twice a day. The last three days before your spelling bee, study them all twice a day.

You can. They're just advising you that if there's one version of the one you know for sure how to spell, spell that version. They cannot tell you it's wrong if they didn't clarify which version they meant. If you'd prefer to just ask for the definition, go ahead.

Follow the steps here to study. If you are well-prepared, you will be less nervous during the bee.

If this happens, it is likely that you will be eliminated. Think through each word and letter before you say them.

If you don't have the list, check with a spelling bee coordinator if you're supposed to have the list. If the spelling bee just tests your vocabulary (and spelling of course), then study words on the level of the spelling bee. Extra hint: it helps to write the word as you are spelling it.

Just take deep breathes and forget that you are at a spelling bee. Close your eyes and do the “humming bee.” The humming bee is when you put your pointer fingers in your ears, close your eyes and stretch out an “M” sound. Remind yourself that you have done this before, many, many times, and there is nothing to be afraid of.

Take deep breaths, tell yourself positive things, and focus. Take breaks, don’t overwork yourself.

There's not much you can do about the past. If the same thing happens in the future, ask for the word's definition before trying to spell it (or simply explain that you can't understand what word is being said).

First, compare words to see if the spellings and definitions are partially same. Then, search the same part of these two spellings to see if this is really a root word. For example, the words biology and biography both have something to do with life, and there is a part which stays the same in both of them (bio-). When I look up bio-, it does have the meaning of “life.” Therefore, I can know that bio- is a root word meaning “life.” Even if you later discovered that a part of a word is not a root word, it is probably an affix.

They typically do not ask a question; they usually just pronounce a word for a contestant to spell.