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The Wellesley Spelling Bee

Thank you to our generous 34th Spelling Bee Sponsors!

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Check out our program

Fall 2023 Bee Winner photo.JPG
The Wellesley Spelling Bee is a WEF community fundraising event which raises money to fund enrichment programs for the Wellesley Public Schools. The Bee is a major fundraiser for WEF and great fun for participants and observers alike! The Bee is typically held on an evening in early November. Town celebrities judge and officiate the competition. The Wellesley cable station records the event and broadcasts it several times. A program is printed for the Spelling Bee, as well as ads included in the Wellesley Townsman acknowledging teams, sponsors and donors.

 
More About the Bee

Approximately 40 teams participate in the Bee and represent local businesses, law firms, alumni groups, community organizations and school PTOs as well as student teams from Wellesley High School and Middle School. We always look forward to seeing where the next new teams may come from. Each team is made up of three members, and seven or eight teams compete in a round. The winner of each round then competes in the championship round.

 

The champions take home the Ruth Humphries Bee trophy to keep for their reigning year. A plaque listing all the winners also hangs in the Wellesley Free Library.

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The Bee does not involve solo spelling. All teams in a round spell words simultaneously. The emcee announces the word and the three team members can collaborate on the spelling of a word before writing down their answer on the slate provided. Teams have 25 seconds and then must display their answer. Teams that correctly spell the word continue. Each speller is provided a study guide with most of the spelling words approximately one month prior to the Bee. See our official Spelling Bee Rules and the Study Guide.

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If you prefer not to spell but would like to participate, any and all donations are welcome. Each year, approximately 10-15 high school or non-profit community teams are sponsored by generous individuals, families and local businesses

 

Past Winners

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Year

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Team Name

WPS Secretaries  

Mount Holyoke Alumnae 

Hunnewell School Dads 

Middle School Staff 

Mount Holyoke Alumnae 

Mount Holyoke Alumnae 

Newton-Wellesley Hospital  

Hammond Associates  

Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni  

BC Alumni  

Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni  

Century 21 Westward Homes

Coldwell Banker/Central St. 

Wellesley Booksmith  

Babson College  

WHS Juniors  

WHS Senior Spellers 

The Wellesley Green Team

The Wellesley Green Team

World of Wellesley 

Butyraceous   

Butyraceous   

Council on Aging Spellbinders

Council on Aging Spellbinders

Bates Minions  

Health Advances  

Coldwell Banker 

Wellesley College

Health Advances, LLC

Upham PTO

Wellesley Scholarship Foundation

Moved from October 2021 to 2022

Sustainable Wellesley

Hardy PTO

Winning Word

?

supernaculum

bantamize

?

requiescence

opeidoscope

strabismic

xerocolous

traumatropism

gibus

pertinacious

hamadryad

repechage

pythiad

quinquevir

eremitic

echard

sessile

immiscibility

imputrescible

ombrophilous

irremeable

sacjaalait

gradus

lapidarian

threnody

unguligrade

legerdemain

adactylous

jarabe

passementerie

N/A

ichnolite

zeusaphone

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