Your school or the spelling bee organization (Scripps, for example) should provide you with this. Simply memorizing this list will not be sufficient for studying because it is meant to be used as a guide, rather than quiz material. It’s best to also cover difficult words from anywhere, as spelling bees will turn to secret “off-list” words later in the competition.

If you don’t want to purchase a dictionary, you can borrow one from your local library (although it may not be the current edition), or visit the Merriam Webster website. [2] X Research source

If you have a few months to prepare, create a detailed schedule for yourself. If you only have a few weeks, be realistic about what you can do and focus on your weakest areas first. For example, you may decide that you want to spend 45 minutes on Monday skimming the dictionary, practice words with Latin roots on Tuesday, and practice words with Greek roots on Wednesday.

This technique is especially useful because you are allowed to spell words into your hand while onstage at an actual spelling bee.

If you don’t know the word “antebellum,” for instance, you might be able to recognize the common root of “ante,” in the beginning of the word, and guess the rest. “Ante” means “before,” and “bellum” means war. So, while you may not have known “bellum,” you could piece together that antebellum mean pre-something—pre-war, in this case. Asking the origin of a word here is important. It can give you a clue to what root the word is derived from - unless it’s an eponym.

Pick one, five-page section at a time to read, at random. Watch as words build off of words that have come before them, and notice how spelling is comprised of a connection of words, and their roots. Pick three words from a random page and try using them in a sentence, after spelling them. This will make those words memorable to you. This exercise can also be done with the words on your word list. Reading the dictionary can be more useful than pleasure reading because your brain will be focused solely on learning words and their definitions, rather than complex or literary concepts.

”Diacritic,” for example, will be written two other ways in the dictionary. The first shows its syllables: di·a·crit·ic. The second shows its pronunciation: /dīəˈkridik/. These symbols tell you to emphasize the first three letters, with the most emphasis going on the “i” that has a small, horizontal line above it. The written “a” in diacritic will sound more like an “uh,” according to this chart.

Speaking out loud, even if someone is not present, is important as well. Learn the sound of your own voice as you spell, and you will become more confident in your abilities. [10] X Research source

If you cannot attend a bee, there are plenty of videos of them on the internet.