100+ Spelling Bee Words That Can Make Every Student Feel Like a Spelling Champion

When choosing a spelling bee word list, or training students to compete in a spelling bee, we have to face a simple fact:

Spelling is more than memory work.

There isn’t a big enough list or enough time to have students recall every single word that could be thrown to them.

Instead, we have to present spelling words in a way that teaches a deeper understanding of spelling.

We’ve gathered 100+ spelling bee words and included their syllables, graphemes, phonemes, part of speech and etymology, so you make any student feel like a spelling champion!

Spelling bee word list

WORD	Grade Level	SYLLABLES	PHONEMES	GRAPHEMES	part of speech	Definition	Sentence	ETYMOLOGY
pitch	3	pitch	p, i, ch	p, i, tch	singluar noun	the level or tune of a sound	She was singing in a different pitch.
taken	3	tak/en			past verb	to have gotten a hold of; grasped	My dad has taken my game away from me.
cannot	3	can/not			present verb	to not be able to do something	I cannot eat dessert before dinner.
stayed	3	stayed			past verb	to have been somewhere for a short time	We stayed at a hotel when we were on holiday.
denim	3	den/im			irregular noun	a type of material used for jeans	I like to wear denim jeans.
doctor	3	doc/tor			singlular noun	a person that treats sick people	I went to the doctor when I was sick.	Latin
gloves	3	gloves			plural noun	hand covers to protect hands	I put on gloves before I wash the dishes.
ocean	3	o/cean			singular noun	a large area of water covering Earth	The ship sailed over the ocean.	Greek
cadet	3	ca/det			singular noun	a person training in the armed forces or police	The cadet was in training to be a police officer.	French
oxen	3	ox/en			plural noun	plural of ox, a large domestic animal kept for milk	A herd of oxen were grazing on the grass.
quail	3	quail	kw,ai,l	qu,ai,l	irregular noun	a small brown bird	A quail was in the nest.	French
arch	3	arch	ar, ch	ar, ch	singlular noun	a curved top that is held by two supports	You enter the hall through a huge arch.	Latin
cheese	3	cheese	ch,ee,z	ch,ee,se	singlular noun	a food made from milk curd	I like to eat cheese and crackers.	Germanic
teach	3	teach	t, ee, ch	t, ea, ch	present verb	to help someone learn how to do something	He will teach me how to play the game.	Germanic
liver	3	liv/er			singlular noun	an organ in the body that cleans and filters blood	The liver is an organ that filters blood.
river	3	riv/er			singlular noun	a natural, large stream of water	The canoe drifted up the river.	Latin
story	3	sto/ry			singlular noun	a fictional tale shorter than a novel	My teacher reads us a story every day.	Latin
thank	3	thank	th, a, n, k	th, a, n, k	verb	to show you are pleased by something or someone	Please thank her for all her help.	Germanic
mammal	3	mam/mal			singlular noun	an animal that feeds its young with milk from the mother	A mammal feeds its young with milk.	Latin
mammoth	3	mam/moth			singlular noun	an extinct elephant covered in long hair and curved tusks	The mammoth lived long ago and had long hair and tusks.
events	3	e/vents			plural noun	things that are planned; social occasions or activities	There will be three events to raise money.
facts	3	facts	f,a,c,t,s	f,a,c,t,s	plural noun	things that are proven or known to be true	The facts have been proven and are true.
people	3	peo/ple			plural noun	more than one person	Ten people came to the party.	Latin
once	3	once			adverb	one time	I have only been to hospital once.
coming	3	com/ing			adjective	about to happen or just beginning	We will have a lot of fun in the coming year.
inside	3	in/side			preposition	within a container or room	I want to see what is inside the box.
parents	3	par/ents			plural noun	plural of parent, a mother or father	My parents will not let me stay up late.
guard	4	guard	g, ar, d	gu, ar, d	present verb	to watch or protect	The dog was set to guard the gate.	Germanic
lamb	4	lamb	l,a,m	l,a,mb	singluar	a young sheep	A baby sheep is called a lamb.
wrap	4	wrap	r,a,p	wr,a,p	present	to cover by winding or folding	We will wrap the present with green paper.
coarse	4	coarse	k,or,s	c,oar,se		having a harsh or rough quality	The coarse sand was hard to walk on.
geese	4	geese	g,ee,s	g,ee,se	plural	more than one goose	The goose flew over to the other geese in the flock.
gel	4	gel	j,e,l	g,e,l	singluar	a thick jellylike substance	As the mixture cooled it turned into a gel.
gem	4	gem	j,e,m	g,e,m	singluar	a cut and polished stone	The precious gem sparkled in the light.
rye	4	rye	r,igh	r,ye	irregular	a type of grain used in baking	Bread made with rye tastes different to wheat.	German
touch	4	touch	t, u, ch	t, ou, ch	present	to put your hand or fingers on someone or something	Do not touch the wet paint.
wreck	4	wreck	r, e, k	wr, e, ck	singluar	the remains of a ship or other vehicle	The divers enjoyed diving on the wreck.
quiche	4	quiche	k, ee, sh	qu, i, che	singluar	a pie made with eggs	We made the quiche with lots of eggs.	French
foul	4	foul	f, ou, l	f, ou, l		extremely unpleasant	There was a foul smell coming from the bathroom.
lure	4	lure	l, ure	l, ure	present	to persuade someone to do something by offering something exciting	I tried to lure the dog outside with a bone.
chief	4	chief	ch, ee, f	ch, ie, f	singluar	a person who is in charge	A new chief of police has just been appointed.
gnat	5	gnat	n, a, t	gn, a, t	singluar	a small, flying, biting insect	A gnat is a small flying insect which bites.	German
gnaw	5	gnaw	n, aw	gn, aw	present	to bite or chew something repeatedly	My dog loves to gnaw on bones.	German
quip	5	quip	kw, i, p	qu, i, p	singluar	a funny and clever comment	He made a quip and clever comment.
raise	5	raise	r,ai,z	r,ai,se	present	to lift up	I raise my arm to answer the question.
sauce	5	sauce	s, aw, s	s, au, ce	singluar	a thick liquid eaten with food	I love to have sauce on my pie.
bight	5	bight	b, igh, t	b, igh, t	singluar	a curve in a coastline	A curve in a coastline is called a bight.
thigh	5	thigh	th, igh	th, igh	singluar	the part of the leg above the knee	The thigh muscle is above the knee.
balm	5	balm	b, ar, m	b, al, m	singluar	a fragrant cream or liquid used to heal the skin	Dad uses a skin balm after he shaves.
calm	5	calm	c, ar, m	c, al, m		not angry, upset or excited	We have to stay calm if we hear the fire alarm.
weigh	5	weigh	w, ai	w, eigh	present	to find out how heavy someone or something is.	I use the scales to weigh the ingredients carefully.
Zeus	5	Zeus	z,oo(long),s	z,eu,s	noun	the ruler of the gods in Greek mythology	Zeus is the ruler of the gods in Greek mythology.
column	5	col/umn			noun	one of two or more vertical sections of a printed page	Please read down the left column.
zoology	5	zo/ol/o/gy			noun	the study of animals	She wants to study zoology and animals.
corpses	5	cor/pses			noun	plural of corpse, a dead body	The ancient corpses were buried thousands of years ago.
cities	5	cit/ies			noun	plural of city, a large town	London and Paris are two large cities.
passage	5	pas/sage			noun	an alley or pathway	We took a shortcut down the side passage.
including	5	in/clud/ing			preposition	part of a particular group or amount	Three people, including myself, are getting an award.
compartment	5	com/part/ment			noun	a section of something larger	I keep snacks in the bottom compartment of my bag.
prospector	6	pros/pec/tor			noun	a person who searches for valuable substances such as gold or oil	The prospector found a gold nugget.
gouging	6	goug/ing			present verb	to make a hole through something in a rough way	The builder was gouging a hole through the wall.
gourd	6	gourd	g,or,d	g,our,d	noun	a fruit with a hard rind often used for decoration or for making objects	We used the skin of a dried gourd to make a bowl.
support	6	sup/port			present verb	to give assistance or comfort	My teacher will support my learning.
advance	6	ad/vance			noun	to move forward in a purposeful way	I want to advance to the next level of the game.
balance	6	bal/ance			present verb	an even distribution of weight	The toddler lost his balance as he was trying to walk.
cancelled	6	can/celled			past verb	for a planned event to not take place	The school sports day was cancelled because of the storm.
canceled	6	can/celed			past verb	for a planned event to not take place	The school sports day was canceled because of the storm.
clearance	6	clear/ance			noun	the process of removing things	There was a large boot sale after the house clearance.
budget	6	budg/et			noun	an amount of money you have available to spend	My parents made a weekly budget for our groceries.
mussels	6	mus/sels			noun	edible sea creatures with two black shells that close	The mussels are edible and have black shells.
whether	6	wheth/er			conjunction	showing a choice between alternatives	I don't know whether to go to the party or not.
pieces	6	piec/es			noun	a part of something	The pizza was cut into eight equal pieces.
rhythm	6	rhy/thm			noun	a strong, regular and repeated movement or sound	The dancers all had great rhythm.
exterminate	6	ex/ter/min/ate			present verb	to destroy or kill completely	Our efforts to exterminate the cockroaches have failed.	Latin
quarrelling	6	quar/rel/ling			present verb	arguing angrily	The quarrelling students were sent to detention.	Latin
possibility	6	pos/si/bil/i/ty			noun	a chance that something may or may not happen or exist	There is a possibility that it will snow on the weekend.
chaos	6	cha/os			noun	complete confusion and disorder	Computer failure caused chaos at the airport.	Greek
orchestra	6	or/ches/tra			noun	a large group of musicians who play many different instruments together and are led by a conductor	She played the violin in the school orchestra.	Greek
category	6	cat/e/go/ry			noun	a group of people or things that are similar in some way	He competed in the race in his age category.	Latin and Greek
originated	6	o/rig/i/nat/ed			past verb	began to exist	The waltz originated in Vienna.
geography	6	ge/og/ra/phy			noun	the natural features of an area	In class we have been studying the geography of the local area.	Greek
sapphire	6	sap/phire			noun	a clear bright blue gemstone	She received a sapphire ring on her sixteenth birthday.	Greek
squadron	6	squad/ron			noun	a military unit consisting of soldiers, ships or aircraft	The squadron of bombers returned to their base.	Italian
fatigue	6	fa/tigue			noun	extreme tiredness	She was suffering from the fatigue after the long hike.	French
recruit	6	re/cruit			present verb	to find new people to take part in an event or join a group or team	We had to recruit more players for our team.	French
whirligig	6	whirl/i/gig			noun	a child's toy that spins rapidly	A spinning top is an example of a whirligig.	Middle English
chaperone	7	chap/er/one			noun	a person who goes with and is responsible for a group of young people	My father volunteered to be a chaperone at the next school dance.	French
charade	7	cha/rade			noun	something that is done in order to pretend something is true when it is not really true	They continue the charade until it wasn't fun anymore.	French
chassis	7	chas/sis			noun	the base frame that a car or other vehicle is built on	The chassis of the car was damaged in the accident.	French
chivalry	7	chiv/al/ry			noun	very polite, honest and kind behaviour	I love listening to stories of knights and their chivalry.	Latin
cliché	7	cliche			noun	a phrase that has been used so often that it is no longer original	Time flies when you are having fun is an example of a cliché.	French
machinery	7	ma/chin/er/y			noun	machines of a particular kind or machines in general	The farm machinery is kept in the barn.
peasants	7	peas/ants			noun	in history a person of a low social class of farm workers and owners of small farms	The land was farmed by peasants for hundreds of years.	Latin
perimeter	7	per/rim/e/ter			noun	the outside edge of an area, surface or flat shape	Soldiers guarded the perimeter of the camp.	Greek
persuade	7	per/suade			present verb	to cause someone to do something or believe something by asking, arguing or giving reasons	I am trying to persuade my parents to increase my pocket money.	Latin
thermometer	7	ther/mo/me/ter			noun	a device used to measure temperature of a person's body or the air	Mum used a thermometer to see if I had a fever.	French
toupee	7	tou/pee			noun	a small wig that is worn by a man to cover a bald spot on his head	The actor was wearing a black toupee on his head.	French
camouflage	7	cam/ou/flage			noun	the way some animals are coloured or shaped so they can not be seen in their natural surroundings	A stick insects colour and shape helps it to hide in a tree.	French
limousine	7	lim/ou/sine			noun	a large, expensive car often driven by a paid driver	The bride and groom hired a limousine for their wedding day.	French
gargoyle	7	gar/goyle			noun	a stone object in the shape of the head of an ugly creature, usually seen on the roofs of old buildings	A row of gargoyles perch on the roof in front of the church.	Old French