Get R-E-A-D-Y. Here's how to follow the Scripps Spelling Bee this week

It's that time again: Students from around the country will be hitting the stage to spell words a lot of the U.S. population couldn't pronounce, let alone spell.

The 98th Scripps National Spelling Bee begins on Tuesday, May 26 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.

Nearly 250 spellers will participate in the competition. The first-place winner will take home The Scripps Cup, a commemorative medal and $50,000 in cash.

Last year, Faizan Zaki took home the coveted prize after correctly spelling the word éclaircissement.

Here's everything to know as the competition begins, including how it works and how to tune in.

Who are the 2026 National Spelling Bee competitors?

This year, 247 spellers ranging in age from 9 to 15 are set to participate in the competition.

Some students are returning to the stage for another shot at the title, including finalists from the past three years.

Three of the nine 2025 finalists have advanced to the 2026 competition, according to Scripps. They are Sarv Dharavane from Dunwoody, Georgia, who came in third last year, Esha Marupudi from Chandler, Arizona, and Oliver Halkett from Los Angeles.

Two 2024 finalists, YY Liang from Hartsdale, New York, and Shrey Parikh from Rancho Cucamonga, California, are also competing this year, according to Scripps. One 2023 finalist, Sarah Fernandes, from Omaha, Nebraska, will compete for the title.

How do students qualify for the Spelling Bee?

Students must not have passed the 8th grade and cannot be older than 15 in order to compete, according to Scripps.

National spellers are selected from classroom spelling bees and regional spelling bees.

Classroom spelling bees are held from September to December. From there, students qualify for regionals. Regional spelling bees are held from February to March. National competitions are selected from the results of the competition, according to Scripps.

How the National Spelling Bee competition works

There are four rounds in the National Spelling Bee: preliminaries, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals involve three parts: two spelling rounds and a vocabulary round, according to Scripps.

The preliminaries involve spelling, vocabulary and a written test.

The written test includes 24 spelling and six vocabulary questions for a maximum score of 30. Scores from the written test determine the spellers who will advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 27. Spellers will be notified of their scores on the evening of Tuesday, May 26, according to Scripps.

A look at the different National Spelling Bee rounds

For the spelling rounds, spellers have 90 seconds to spell a word once it's been pronounced.

They can ask the following questions: definition, part of speech, use the word in a sentence, language of origin, alternate pronunciations and repeat the word, according to Scripps.

The vocabulary rounds give spellers 30 seconds to answer a multiple-choice question about the definition of a word.

First introduced in 2012, the vocabulary portion challenges spellers' understanding of words, taking emphasis off spelling memorization, according to Scripps.

What is a Spell-Off?

Another new part of the program is the Spell-Off, introduced in 2021. Judges have the option to activate the Spell-Off to conclude the finals.

Each speller has 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible, while other spellers are sequestered with headphones on, unable to hear the words being read. The spellers get the same words read in the same order. If there is a tie, the winner is chosen by the percentage of words attempted correctly, according to Scripps.

The spellers are not allowed to skip a word and are encouraged to spell each word given.

The Spell-Off has only been used in 2022 and 2024. In 2024, Bruhat Soma spelled 29 words correctly, while runner-up Faizan Zaki spelled 20 words correctly. In 2022, Harini Logan spelled 22 words correctly. Runner-up Vikram Raju spelled 15 words correctly, according to Scripps.

How to watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee

For those wanting to watch the spelling bee live, here's a look at the TV schedule.

• Tuesday, May 26: Preliminaries will be streamed on Scripps Sports Network from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.
• Wednesday, May 27: Quarterfinals will be streamed on Scripps Sports Network from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET.
• Wednesday May 27: Semifinals will air 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on ION.
• Thursday, May 28: Finals will air live in primetime on ION from 8-10 p.m.

In addition to ION, the finals will air on ION Plus, Bounce, Grit, Laff, The Spot, ION Plus, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More, Scripps News and Scripps Sports Network.

The semifinals will also air on ION, ION Plus, Laff, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More, Scripps News and Scripps Sports Network. Scripps News will stream an encore of the semifinals on Thursday, May 28, from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. ET and the finals from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, according to Scripps.

Fans can visit spellingbee.com/watch and enter a zip code for instructions on how to watch the Bee in a specific area.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected].