who will bee our next champion?

247 spelling bee champions from across the country will compete for the Scripps Cup this year. Who will earn the title of Champion?

Watch the two-night special event on ION,
May 27 & 28 at 8/7c

how to watch

Television Schedule

preliminaries Tuesday, May 26 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

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on

quarterfinals Wednesday, May 27 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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on

semifinals Wednesday, May 27 8 - 10 p.m. ET

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on

finals Thursday, May 28 8 - 10 p.m.

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on

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Meet the Spellers

See all spellers

a new H-O-M-E

The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee will take place at a new venue: DAR Constitution Hall. 247 spellers from across the country and around the world will travel to Washington, D.C., for Memorial Day. For these spellers, Bee Week will include much more than three days of nationally-televised competition.

learn about bee week

beelieve in the power of words

In celebration of our centennial in 2025, the Bee launched Beelieve, a fund in partnership with the Scripps Howard Fund to make spelling bees more accessible for schools and communities across the country.

give today!

buzzing into a new century of the Bee

Last year, the Bee celebrated 100 years of the National Spelling Bee. Since 1925, children across America have participated in classroom, school and regional spelling bees with the hope of making it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Historical Spelling Bee images

learn about the Bee's history