What is the eligibility criteria for the Orange County Spelling Bee (OCSB)?
Students must be the winners of their school or district spelling bee program.
Students must attend an Orange County school.
Students must be in grades six, seven, or eight and may not be older than 14 years of age as of August 31, 2024.
Students must meet all Scripps National Spelling Bee eligibility requirements.
Students must attend a school that is officially enrolled with the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
How can my child participate in the Orange County Spelling Bee?
First, find out if your child’s school is participating in the OCSB. Students must be the winner of their school/district spelling bee in order to participate in the OCSB. If your school does not currently participate in the OCSB, contact your school’s principal about hosting a spelling bee.
My child is in fourth grade at their K-6 school and won their school’s spelling bee. Can they participate in the Orange County Spelling Bee?
No, students must be in grades 6-8 in order to participate in the Orange County Spelling Bee.
I have seen students from grade levels below sixth grade participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Why can’t my second grader participate in the Orange County Spelling Bee?
Each regional spelling bee program determines which grade levels to include in their spelling bee, and currently the OCSB is limited to students in grades 6-8.
My school doesn’t have a Spelling Bee Coordinator, can I, as a parent, be the Spelling Bee Coordinator?
No. Only district or school employees can be the Spelling Bee Coordinator. In order to be eligible for the OCSB, a district or school employee must register the school through the Scripps website. Parents can volunteer to help the district or school Spelling Bee Coordinator with logistics, but they cannot have access to the Scripps National Spelling Bee online platform or word lists.
I am a new coordinator, what are the first steps I should take?
First, fill out the OCSB Intent to Participate form to ensure you receive all communications from our team regarding the bee. Second, attend the Spelling Bee Coordinator meeting in September. Third, register your school through the Scripps National Spelling Bee website.
My child is home-schooled, can they participate in the OCSB?
Yes! If your child is part of a homeschool consortium or program, the homeschool program must enroll with Scripps as a school. If your child is not part of a homeschool group, please email spellingbee@ocde.us for further information.
If my child wins their school spelling bee, do they move on directly to the OCSB?
If your school district hosts a district-level spelling bee, then the school winners participate in the district bee, and the winners from the district bee move forward to the OCSB. If your school district does not host a spelling bee, students move directly from the school bee to the OCSB.
My child is advancing to the Orange County Spelling Bee, how should they prepare?
The school’s spelling bee coordinator can provide you with a PDF version of the Words of the Champions booklet, which includes 4,000-words. In addition, your child should visit www.spellingbee.com for additional suggestions and resources.
How does my child access the Words of the Champions list?
Ask your school’s Spelling Bee Coordinator for a free copy. Bee coordinators can download Words of the Champions booklet from the Scripps website and share it with their school winners. The guide can also be purchased on Amazon.
How many rounds are there in the OCSB?
The OCSB consists of two rounds. The first round of the OCSB is a written round consisting of twenty words.Ten words are from the Words of the Champions booklet and and ten from the Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Online Dictionary, the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. There will also be five multiple choice vocabulary questions on the written test. The finalists advancing to the second round of the OCSB will be announced on the Orange County Department of Education’s website within twenty-four hours of the written round.
The second round of the OCSB is an oral round. See the Contest Rules Form under the "Documents" section of this website for further information on the format for the oral round.
