Spelling bee practice, the way a bee sounds

A round, like the real thing

1. The kitty says the word and what it means.
2. Hear again gives the word in a sentence, then, for most words, where it comes from.
3. Your child spells it out loud. Each letter appears as it is said, and the iPhone checks it on the device.
4. A miss gets one more try, then a gentle look at which letter went wrong, and why.

Words for their grade

Grades 1 to 3 for ages 5 to 8, grades 4 to 6 for ages 9 to 11 and grades 7 and 8 from age 12: 379 words from school spelling bee study lists, each with a meaning and a sentence written for the app. Each day’s round is drawn for that grade, with a few words a step harder.

When to start

Classroom and school bees usually run from winter into early spring. A little every day in the weeks before tends to work better than a long session the night before, and a daily streak keeps it going.

The official study list

The School Spelling Bee Study List is published by Scripps for enrolled schools at spellingbee.com. SpellKitty is independent and not affiliated with Scripps or any spelling bee organization.