spelling bee
nounEtymology From spelling + bee (“get-together, (social) gathering, contest”). (The earliest known evidence of the phrase in print dates back to 1850.)
1
A spelling contest or competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell out words (orally, letter by letter); the individual or team spelling the most words correctly wins.
- Synonyms
- spelldown, spelling match
- Related terms
- apple bee, geography bee, husking bee, quilting bee, sewing bee