Spelling bees for adults have surged in popularity in recent years. The Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee is not affiliated with these spelling bees and has limited knowledge about them.

Here is what we know:

• The two most popular types of spelling bees for adults are corporate spelling bees and senior citizen spelling bees. These events are usually organized to raise money for charity.
• Many spelling bees for adults are team efforts, while traditional spelling bees for children are individual in nature. A common team size is three persons.
• In a corporate spelling bee, local businesses pay an entry fee and send their best employee spellers to the corporate spelling bee event. The entry fee is the key to the fund-raiser, with the collected entry fees being donated to a specified charity. We have heard of corporate spelling bee entry fees as low as $100 and as high as $1,000.
• Local literacy organizations are often the key organizers of corporate and senior citizen spelling bees.
• A corporate spelling bee often has fun, party elements. In some areas, team members wear costumes or matching T-shirts. Similarly, sometimes teams are permitted to buy their way back into the competition after being eliminated, all in the name of charity.

Someone told me that you have study materials and lists for adult spelling bees. How may I get these materials?

We have good news. Although we do not produce study materials or lists that are specific to spelling bees for adults, many adult spelling bee organizers and participants utilize the study materials and lists that we produce for school-aged children. Most adult spelling bee organizers and participants find that these lists are very challenging and appropriate for adults.

We offer two items that are of interest to adult spelling bee organizers and participants. The first item, 2003 School Pronouncer Guide, is a competition word list for use by your pronouncer at the spelling bee. The second item, 2003 Paideia, is a study booklet for use by spelling bee participants. These items will be available through our online store in mid-September.

Where may I obtain rules for adult spelling bees?

We are not aware of any established rules for adult spelling bees. It appears that many adult spelling bee officials tailor traditional spelling bee contest rules to their circumstances.

Someone told me that you sell a book about how to conduct adult spelling bees. How may I order this book?

We have never offered a book such as this. Because our experience with spelling bees for adults is limited at this time, we feel that it would be inappropriate to offer advice on the subject. We will review this matter on a regular basis. If we gain sufficient knowledge of spelling bees for adults to warrant our authorship of a such a book and there is sufficient demand to meet our costs, we will seriously consider the matter.

Why doesn't the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee sponsor a Senior Citizen National Spelling Bee or a Corporate National Spelling Bee?

We simply have our hands full keeping up with spelling bee competitions for school-aged children. We will review this situation on a regular basis.

Whom should I turn to for more information about spelling bees for adults?

We believe that there is no information source for spelling bees for adults. If we become aware of an information source regarding spelling bees for adults, we will be happy to provide contact information for that source. We are not prepared to serve as an information clearinghouse for local and regional spelling bees for adults.