RULES AND ROLES:
Below you will find helpful information that will not only explain the rules of the competition, but also the roles and functions of each of the participants. This information has been extracted from the Scripps National Spelling Bee sponsorship site, and was not created by Doherty Elementary, or the West Bloomfield School District.
Format: The spelling bee is conducted in rounds. Each speller remaining in the spelling bee at the start of a round spells one word in each round—except in the case of a written, multiple choice, or online test. The spelling bee may be conducted orally or in writing or in a manner that is a combination of the two; however, if the spelling bee officials specify an oral format, the speller may not demand a written format except under the conditions of Rule 4.
Word list: Local spelling bee officials are responsible for selecting the word lists for use at each local spelling bee. Many local spelling bee officials use word lists generated by the Scripps National Spelling Bee. These lists include many words that appear in the current edition of Spell It! as well as some “end-of-bee” words. All words on Scripps National Spelling Bee word lists are entries in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster, the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Special needs: Spelling bee officials will strive to provide accommodation for spellers who have physical challenges. All requests for spelling bee officials to accommodate special needs involving sight, hearing, speech, or movement should be directed to spelling bee officials well in advance of the spelling bee date. The judges have discretionary power to amend oral and/or written spelling requirements on a case-by-case basis for spellers with diagnosed medical conditions involving sight, hearing, speech, or movement.
The Pronouncer’s role:
The pronouncer strives to pronounce words according to the diacritical markings in Scripps National Spelling Bee word lists and Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam- Webster.
Homonyms: If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer indicates which word is to be spelled by defining the word.
Speller’s requests: The pronouncer responds to the speller’s requests for a definition, sentence, part of speech, language(s) of origin, and alternate pronunciation(s). When presented with requests for alternate pronunciations, the pronouncer or an aide to the pronouncer checks for alternate pronunciations in either Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam- Webster or Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, eleventh edition. The pronouncer does not entertain root word questions, requests for alternate definitions, or requests for markedly slower pronunciation.
Below you will find helpful information that will not only explain the rules of the competition, but also the roles and functions of each of the participants. This information has been extracted from the Scripps National Spelling Bee sponsorship site, and was not created by Doherty Elementary, or the West Bloomfield School District.
Format: The spelling bee is conducted in rounds. Each speller remaining in the spelling bee at the start of a round spells one word in each round—except in the case of a written, multiple choice, or online test. The spelling bee may be conducted orally or in writing or in a manner that is a combination of the two; however, if the spelling bee officials specify an oral format, the speller may not demand a written format except under the conditions of Rule 4.
Word list: Local spelling bee officials are responsible for selecting the word lists for use at each local spelling bee. Many local spelling bee officials use word lists generated by the Scripps National Spelling Bee. These lists include many words that appear in the current edition of Spell It! as well as some “end-of-bee” words. All words on Scripps National Spelling Bee word lists are entries in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster, the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Special needs: Spelling bee officials will strive to provide accommodation for spellers who have physical challenges. All requests for spelling bee officials to accommodate special needs involving sight, hearing, speech, or movement should be directed to spelling bee officials well in advance of the spelling bee date. The judges have discretionary power to amend oral and/or written spelling requirements on a case-by-case basis for spellers with diagnosed medical conditions involving sight, hearing, speech, or movement.
The Pronouncer’s role:
The pronouncer strives to pronounce words according to the diacritical markings in Scripps National Spelling Bee word lists and Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam- Webster.
Homonyms: If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer indicates which word is to be spelled by defining the word.
Speller’s requests: The pronouncer responds to the speller’s requests for a definition, sentence, part of speech, language(s) of origin, and alternate pronunciation(s). When presented with requests for alternate pronunciations, the pronouncer or an aide to the pronouncer checks for alternate pronunciations in either Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam- Webster or Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, eleventh edition. The pronouncer does not entertain root word questions, requests for alternate definitions, or requests for markedly slower pronunciation.
The Judges’ role:
The judges uphold the rules and determine whether or not words are spelled correctly. They also render final decisions on appeals in accordance with Rule 11. They are in complete control of the competition, and their decision is final on all questions.
Interaction with the speller: Because seeing the speller’s lip movements may be critical in detecting misunderstandings or misspellings, the judges encourage spellers to face them when pronouncing and spelling the word.
Notice of rules: The judges ensure that all spellers and audience members are given an opportunity to receive a complete copy of the rules prior to the start of the spelling bee.
Misunderstandings: The judges participate in the exchange of information between the speller and pronouncer if they feel that clarification is needed. Also, the judges listen carefully to the speller’s pronunciation of the word; and, if they sense that the speller has misunderstood the word, the judges work with the speller and pronouncer until they are satisfied that reasonable attempts have been made to assist the speller in understanding the word. While the judges are responsible for attempting to detect
a speller’s misunderstanding, it is sometimes impossible to detect a misunderstanding until a spelling error has been made. The judges are not responsible for the speller’s misunderstanding.
Pronouncer errors: The judges compare the pronouncer’s pronunciation with the diacritical markings in the word list. If the judges feel that the pronouncer’s pronunciation does not match the pronunciation specified in the diacritical markings, the judges direct the pronouncer to correct the error as soon as it is detected.
Disqualifications for reasons other than clear misspelling: The judges will disqualify a speller (1) who refuses a request to start spelling; (2) who does not approach the microphone when it is time
to receive the word; (3) who does not comply with the eligibility requirements; (4) who engages in unsportsmanlike conduct; (5) who, in the process of retracing a spelling, alters the letters or sequence of letters from those first uttered; or (6) who, in the process of spelling, utters unintelligible or nonsense sounds.
Speller activities that do not merit disqualification: The judges may not disqualify a speller (1) for failing to pronounce the word either before or after spelling it, (2) for asking a question, or (3) for noting or failing to note the capitalization of a word.
The Speller’s role:
The speller makes an effort to face the judges and pronounce the word for the judges before spelling it and after spelling it. The speller while facing the judges makes an effort to utter each letter distinctly and with sufficient volume to be understood by the judges. The speller may ask the pronouncer to say the word again, define it, use it in a sentence, provide the part of speech, provide the language(s) of origin, and/or provide an alternate pronunciation or pronunciations.
Misunderstandings: The speller is responsible for any misunderstanding of the word unless (1) the pronouncer never provided a correct pronunciation; (2) the pronouncer provided incorrect information regarding the definition, part of speech, or language of origin; or (3) the speller correctly spelled a homonym of the word and the pronouncer failed to either offer a definition or distinguish the homonyms.
Correction of a misspelling: The pronouncer and judges will not ask the speller to correct another speller’s misspelling, even in end-of-bee circumstances.
Misspelling: Upon incorrectly spelling a word, the speller immediately drops out of the competition, except as provided in Rule 10.
End-of-Bee Procedure:
If all spellers in a round misspell: If none of the spellers remaining in the spelling bee at the start of
a round spells a word correctly during that round, all remain in the competition and a new round begins.
Ties: All spellers eliminated in the same round are tied for the same place. After the champion has
been determined, spelling bee officials may opt to conduct tiebreakers (of their own design) if tiebreakers are necessary for the awarding of prizes or the determination of qualifying spellers for the next level of competition.
If only one speller in a round spells correctly: If only one speller spells correctly in a round, a new one-word round begins and the speller is given an opportunity to spell the next word on the list (anticipated championship word). If the speller succeeds in correctly spelling the anticipated championship word in this one-word round, the speller is declared the champion.
VERY IMPORTANT: If a speller misspells the anticipated championship word in a one-word round:
A new round begins with ALL the spellers who spelled (correctly and incorrectly) in the previous round. These spellers spell in their original order.