Spelling fans have a new way to follow the action of the bee with a new app, Buzzworthy.
The official app of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Buzzworthy, lets fans follow a group of spellers and earn points as they progress through the rounds. Fans can connect with friends to create "hives" that can compete against each other for bragging rights.
It offers a new level of entertainment for fans of the spelling bee.
The app is available for Apple, Android and Windows mobile devices.
"The nation buzzes with excitement each year for the champion spellers," said Paige Kimble, executive director of the Bee. "The Buzzworthy app creates even greater buzz by connecting fans to these spelling stars."
Once a user creates an account, the app assigns five random spellers to follow throughout the competition. Users can follow an additional speller of their choosing by sharing a Buzzworthy hive code with others.
Throughout the bee, users earn points each time their speller spells a word correctly. To increase the chances of earning points, users can create hives of spellers that can combine their points as a group.
Fans can earn bonus points if their spellers spell their words quickly, and can get 1,000 bonus points if they correctly predict a word before it is used in the competition.
The app will also give alerts through the final rounds. It has a live social media feed and includes fun facts about and photos of all 285 finalists.