Each speller
has been assigned a number alphabetically by state, territory, or country.
Except for Round One, which is a 25-word written test, this is an oral
competition conducted in rounds until only one speller remains.
During
oral rounds, rounds end after all spellers among those remaining in
competition have spelled for the judges one new word. Beginning in Round
Three, if a speller misspells a word, one of the judges will ring a
bell after the misspelling is completed. The pronouncer will then give
the correct spelling. A member of our staff will escort the speller
backstage. upon leaving the backstage area, spellers are encouraged
to meet members of the media for interviews.
During
oral rounds a speller may ask questions about a
word's pronunciation, definition, part of speech, use in a sentence,
and etymology. Once having started to spell a word, the speller may
start over, but the letters or sequence of letters already spoken may
not be changed.
The National
Word List is composed of six sections and totals more than 950 words:
1. Round
One Words: A 25-Word Written Test
2. Round
Two Words
3. Round
Three Words
4. Round Four Words
5. Round Five Words
5. Rounds Six and Higher Words concluding with the Championship Words
Round Two
words are selected from the 2005 Paideia (our official study
booklet) and the 250 words appearing in the Additional Words section
of Books I and II of the 2005 Sponsor Bee Guides (word lists
most sponsors use at their final bees). Round Two words may appear to
be among the most difficult in the competition. Bee officials and most
spellers regard Round Two as the easiest round because most spellers
will have studied the 2005 Paideia and the Additional Words section
of Books I and II of the 2005 Sponsor Bee Guides.
The only
complete source for words in Round One and all rounds after Round Two
is Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its Addenda
Section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster, which contains over 470,000
word entries.
Words
are chosen primarily by a three-person Word Panel headed by word list
manager Carolyn B. Andrews. Other Bee officials occasionally contribute
to the word-selection process.
The process
from word selection to a finished list begins nearly one year before
the list is used in competition. It begins in the early summer when
word panelists compose rough word lists. The panelists often choose
words from their everyday reading and subjects of interest to them.
It is not standard practice for word panelists to consult old Bee word
lists when composing new word lists.
The proposed
words are checked against the Bee’s official dictionary to ensure their
compatibility with the Bee’s rules. For example, if a proposed word
cannot be found in the Bee’s official dictionary, the proposed word
is removed from consideration.
Next, word
panelists use information provided in Webster’s Third New International
Dictionary and its Addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster,
to compose concise dictionary entries for their words. Each entry includes
word, pronunciation, part of speech, and definition. The word panelists
also include with each entry a sentence that illustrates the use of
the word. Pronouncer Dr. Jacques A. Bailly provides the language of
origin information for each word, drawing heavily from information provided
in Webster’s Third.
After the
dictionary entries have been composed by the word panelists, Carolyn
Andrews consolidates the information and composes a rough draft of the
word list. Members of the Word Panel, along with some other Bee officials,
meet for two days in early fall to review the rough draft. A considerable
amount of editing work is accomplished during this meeting. Many entries
for the words are revised, and some words are deleted from the list.
During
the September meeting—after the editing work has been completed—words are
rated according to the panelists’ and Bee officials’ best estimation
of difficulty. When rating a word, consideration is given to the word’s
relative level of familiarity, the degree to which it can be spelled
phonetically, and the degree to which the correct spelling may be deduced
from knowledge of word roots and language patterns. A word’s length
in letters or number of syllables is sometimes a factor.
After the
September meeting, Carolyn Andrews again edits the word list and also reorders
the list according to the ratings. During another two-day Word Panel
meeting in February, the list is again discussed and some word placements
are shifted if there is a consensus.
After the
February meeting, a final word list is created and provided to Dr. Bailly.
Dr. Bailly then begins the process of researching each word’s pronunciation
or pronunciations. Dr. Bailly compiles detailed notes about the words,
and these detailed notes are at his fingertips during the competition.
In May
the final word list is provided to the judges for their review. Finally,
during Bee Week before the competition begins, Bee officials (pronouncers, judges,
word panelists, and the director) meet for a final review of the word
list. A change or two may be made, and then the list is deemed ready
for use in competition.
