Nine newspapers collaborated to start the National Spelling Bee in 1925. In 1941, Scripps took over sponsorship of the National Spelling Bee. There was no Scripps National Spelling Bee during the war years of 1943–45.

What is the origin of w-o-r-t-h-w-h-i-l-e?

It's in helping students improve their spelling skills and increase their vocabularies—all through the fun of spelling bees:

Teachers and administrators may visit this link beginning August 22, 2016, to enroll their schools in the Bee for the 2016-17 program year.

What is the origin of e-n-t-h-u-s-i-a-s-m?

Find it by drumming up bee spirit at your school. Here are a few tips

What is the origin of s-u-c-c-e-s-s?

You can find it by following these 10 tips along your way to spelling superstardom:

1. For inspiration, watch the documentary Spellbound on family movie night.
2. Keep a \"great words\" journal for every new and interesting word that you find.
3. Designate a spelling wall in your home. Post new words to the wall each day.
4. For family game night, conduct an impromptu themed spelling bee.

This year, 285 spellers will compete for the title of 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

Competition Schedule

The Preliminaries Test 

Tuesday, May 24
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. EDT

All spellers take the Preliminaries Test together in the Maryland Ballroom.

Preliminaries (Round Two)

Wednesday, May 25
8:00 – 11:45 a.m. EDT

Preliminaries (Round Three)

Wednesday, May 25
1:15 – 4:45 p.m. EDT

The word bee, as used in spelling bee, is one of those language puzzles that has never been satisfactorily accounted for. A fairly old and widely-used word, it refers to a community social gathering at which friends and neighbors join together in a single activity (sewing, quilting, barn raising, etc.) usually to help one person or family.

The Past Two Decades by the Numbers:

We are the nation\'s largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company and local spelling bee sponsors in the United States, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense Schools in Europe; also, the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea.