US spelling bee finalists battle it out – can you keep up? Take our quizNine kids will battle it out in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals – can you spell as well as they do?3 hrs agoUS & Canada

The best child spellers in the US are competing in an annual spelling bee to see who knows their ABCs best – and who will win $52,000 (£39,000) in cash.

The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals began on Tuesday with 247 spellers aged nine to 15.

The 101-year-old contest concludes Thursday evening when nine spellers will take to the stage in front of their parents, teachers, friends and TV audiences to go letter-by-letter through some of the toughest words in the English language.

Whoever wins takes home The Scripps Cup and the prize money.

In the quiz below, listen to each audio prompt and type in your best guess for how each word is spelled. Good luck, spellers!