Who is the pronouncer on spelling bee?

James Sullivan January 7th, 2026 at 6:01 PM

Jacques A. Bailly

Thereof, do you have to say hyphen in a spelling bee?

A. The speller correctly spelled the word but was eliminated for misspelling it; failing to say the word before or after spelling it; failing to indicate capitalization, hyphen, spaces or diacritical marks; or incorrectly indicating capitalization, hyphen, spaces or diacritical marks.

Similarly, who reads the words at the Scripps Spelling Bee? — Since he took over as Scripps National Spelling Bee's official pronouncer in 2003, Jacques Bailly has never taken a break from reading out spellers' words during the competition — until this year.

Keeping this in consideration, what is a pronouncer?

👉 For more insights, check out this resource.

Noun. pronouncer (plural pronouncers) Agent noun of pronounce; one who pronounces. The official who gives out words to be spelled at a spelling bee and answers questions about their definition, use in a sentence and etymology.

How do I participate in the spelling bee?

👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.

To participate in the national competition, a speller must be sponsored. Scripps has 281 sponsors (mostly newspapers) from the U.S., Canada, The Bahamas, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe covering a certain area and conducting their own regional spelling bees to send spellers to the national level.

Do you have to capitalize words in a spelling bee?

It all depends if you are referring to the concept in general (in which case neither of the words is capitalized), or to a specific spelling bee (such as the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in which case -- according to the Scripps website -- both "Spelling" and "Bee" are uppercase.

How do you study for a spelling bee?

Tips

Every day of studying, only spell about 10-15 words at a time.
Use everything you're allowed to ask on a bee.
If you're in a bee and hear a homophone, please ask for the definition.
Even if you know the answer to a question, ask it anyway, so that it'll give you more time to think and process the word.

Can you correct yourself in a spelling bee?

Judges may disqualify any contestant who ignores a request to start spelling. 4. Having started to spell a word, a contestant may stop and start over, retracing the spelling from the beginning, but in retracing THERE CAN BE NO CHANGE OF LETTERS AND THEIR SEQUENCE FROM THOSE FIRST PRONOUNCED.

What's a homonym in the dictionary?

A homonym is a word that is said or spelled the same way as another word but has a different meaning. "Write” and “right” is a good example of a pair of homonyms.

Why do spelling bees Ask definition?

By asking for a definition, the speller can determine which word needs to be spelled. If the speller is unsure of the word requested, hearing the definition of the word can clarify which word is needed. Asking for a definition can give clues to origins or parts of speech which can assist with spelling.

What can you ask during a spelling bee?

Spellers are allowed to ask for: 1) alternate pronunciations, 2) a definition, 3) a part of speech, 4) language of origin, 5) for the word to be used in a sentence, and 6) for the word to be pronounced again.

How does a spelling bee end?

The National Spelling Bee named eight co-champions on May 30, at the end of a three-and-a-half-hour final that aired live on TV and ended in a historic eight-way tie. Whittled down from an initial field of 562 contestants, the final eight went for 20 straight rounds of spelling words without any errors.

What are some spelling bee words?

7 Quintessential National-Spelling-Bee-Winning Words

knack. (1928): “an ability, talent, or special skill needed to do something”
esquamulose. (1962): “not squamulose”
eczema.
Chihuahua.
vivisepulture.
shalloon.
logorrhea.

How do you pronounce French names?

Noé, the French masculine form of Noah, is pronounced noh-ee. Salomé, in French, is pronounced sah-loh-mee.

Gaël and Gaëlle are pronounced gah-el or gai-el.
Joël and Joëlle are pronounced zhoh-el.
Maël and Maëlle are pronounced mah-el or mai-el.
Noël and Noëlle are pronounced noh-el.

How do you write pronouncers?

Style the phonetic spelling, or pronouncer, in any way that is easily understood by whoever is going to say the name. Denote the accented syllable with capital letters. So the pronouncer for Andrés Manuel López Obrador would be “ahn-DREHS mahn-WELL LOH-pehss oh-brah-DOOR,” or some variation.

How do you get Google to pronounce words?

Click on the app icon on the top right; pop-up starts reading automatically, showing you record and play buttons to work with your pronunciation afterward. Also available via context menu. Select text and right click to open the context menu with an option to pronounce the selection.

Who won the spelling bee 2019?

In a Historic Finale, 8 Spellers Just Won the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

How much money does the spelling bee winner get?

The runner up wins a medal and $25,000. The winner of the Bee gets a $50,000 cash prize and Scripps National Spelling Bee engraved trophy and a $2,500 cash prize and reference library from Merriam-Webster.

How do you practice spelling words?

Here are 18 creative and interactive ways to practice spelling words.

Make a Spelling Word Origami Fortune Teller.
Make and Use a “Word Catcher"
Magnetic Letters, Alphabet Blocks, or Scrabble Pieces.
Create Your Own Crossword Puzzle.
Use Sensory Play.
Play Spelling Word Memory.
Trace the Words in Rainbow Colors.

How can I watch the National Spelling Bee?

Live rounds of spelling begin this morning. Starting at 8 a.m. EST, you can watch the spellers on stage on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app. Play along or watch the version with the words on the screen. Spelling will continue until about 5 p.m. EST, with a break for lunch.

What happens after you win the school spelling bee?

Each winner will receive a $50,000 cash prize and an engraved trophy. This story originally published Wednesday, May 29. The ability to spell “koinonia” on demand is worth more than just bragging rights for the competitors of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

What do you wear to a spelling bee?

If you are a boy: Wear a Polo and black pants. The spelling bee isn't really very dressy until the finals. Always wear black loafers. Just nicely brush your hair back, and you are set.