Three #FridayFunnies for the price of one. 😂

In 1985, Kelly Lecker represented the Wisconsin State Journal at the 58th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, placing 38th out of 168 spellers. In 2022, Kelly was named Executive Editor at that very same publication. A very cool story about a very good storyteller. Keep up the great work Kelly! ❤️

Did you know the first American film centered on spelling is the 1986 classic The Girl Who Spelled Freedom? It tells the true story of a Cambodian family forced to flee its war-torn homeland. Taken in by an American couple, their daughter Linn learns English by training for spelling bees. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thinking about your summer reading list? We recommend the breezy read of Merriam-Webster's Unabridged, official dictionary of the Bee. 🐝 More than 476,000 entries. Endless etymological plot twists. And handy cover on a rainy day. 📸: 2024 speller Aditi Muthukumar. Photo: AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post

Remember the simple pleasure of hitting the local Blockbuster to peruse all the new arrivals and check out some movies? You can still do it, it's just called the library now. And it's free. Just one more reason libraries are awesome. 👏 📸: Coffeyville Public Library, Coffeyville, KS

In honor of today's World Cup Final, here's a replay of our very own Penalty Shootout of Words – Shrey Parikh's scintillating, championship-winning Spell-off performance at this year's Bee. ⏱️🐝 Who are you rooting for on the pitch today? ⚽️

Our Bee's Bookshelf Book of the Month for July is Odder by New York Times bestselling author Katherine Applegate! It's a touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, perfect for summer reading! 📖 Learn more and pick up a copy for yourself at https://bit.ly/4vdSmUc. 🐝

Happy birthday to 2024 Bee champion Bruhat Soma! Who could ever forget his astounding performance in the Spell-off, nailing 29 out of 30 words to win the title. Have a fantastic birthday, champ! 🎂

Today is National Don't Step on a Bee Day! Bees are responsible for pollinating roughly one-third of the world's food supply. Bees are also responsible for inspiring a love of words in millions of students every year. All bees must be protected at all costs. 🐝❤️

Happy Independence Day! The 2026 Bee was held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. 🐝 It is home to an organization founded to honor the heroes who fought for our nation's freedom. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary, we remain proud of all the American traditions that bring us together. 🇺🇸

From the Peninsula Enterprise newspaper in Virginia, July 9, 1927: The sentiment at the end is very nice, but the misspellings (including a speller's name!) are wild. #FridayFunnies

Staff members at Johnston Senior High School must have known there was an issue with the 2026 Yearbook. They just couldn't C it. #FridayFunnies

Ever visited the Marian R. Byrnes Park in Chicago? You may not know it was named after 1938 Bee Champion Marian (Richardson) Byrnes, a remarkable woman with a remarkable legacy. 🐝 She organized one of Indiana University’s first NAACP chapters and later became a teacher and fierce environmental hero.

In 2021, Sreethan Gajula from North Carolina made the most of his only trip to the Bee with a Top 10 finish! 🐝 Since then, he's graduated from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, pursued research at Harvard and UNC School of Medicine, and is now a freshman at Duke. Well done!

Exactly 100 years ago today, we crowned the first girl to ever win the Bee. She had a perfectly ironic last name for a Bee champion: 🛎️ Pauline Bell won the Bee on June 17, 1926, then worked as a teacher and social worker in her home state of Kentucky. She died in 2010 at the ripe old age of 98.

Snehaa Kumar from California had a superb run at the Bee, finishing 3rd in 2016 after a 4th place finish in '15. She was just getting started. High school valedictorian, then degrees in computer science and physics from UC Berkeley. Now she's working on reinforcement learning at Surge AI. Superstar!

On May 26, we hit a wonderful milestone when Sophie Sung (Speller #159 from North Carolina) took the stage and became the 14,000th participant in the 101-year history of the Scripps National Spelling Bee! 🐝⭐️

The first Bee was in 1925, but it took all the way until 1956 for the boys to outnumber the girls. However, it was the young ladies who dominated, grabbing the top four spots. The winner was Melody Sachko (middle), followed by Sandra Owen (left), Ann Malone Warren (right), and Karin Carter.

Shrey Parikh's Bee journey started as a 4th grader in 2022, when he finished in 89th place. It ended with a championship.

Happy birthday to Shruthika Padhy, co-champion of the 2019 Bee and part of the unforgettable OctoChamps! Shruthika is currently studying at Brown University and joined us a couple of weeks ago at Bee Week 2026 as part of our College Crew. Happy birthday, champ! 🎉

Bee Week Bash is our annual closing gala – a chance for spellers and their families to celebrate their achievements before heading home. This year's was one of our best ever, hosted at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The exhibits, the dancing, and the joy were off the charts. 🎉

Happy birthday to 1985 Bee champion Balu Natarajan! Forty-one years ago, Balu became the first Indian American to win the Bee. 🐝 Since that landmark victory, there have been 32 Indian American Bee champions. Today, Dr. Natarajan is Chief Medical Officer of AccentCare, Inc. Happy birthday, legend! 🎂

Our Bee's Bookshelf Book of the Month for June is the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel El Deafo by Cece Bell. It's the superhero origin story of a student with hearing loss and a hearing aid. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4efRvNw.

The only bell Shrey experienced during his Bee journey was ringing the Nasdaq Opening Bell this morning! 🛎️ Shrey was joined by family members and leaders from The E.W. Scripps Company, including President/CEO Adam Symson. Congratulations, Shrey! Photography courtesy 2026 Nasdaq, Inc. / Vanja Savic

Happy heavenly birthday to 1968 Bee champion Robert Walters. That year's competition was emotional – the Bee started on June 5, just hours after Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. A devoted family man, Robert was born, worked, married his wife LuAnn and raised his family in Kansas. He died in 2018.

The winner of the Spell-off and the Champion of the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee is #Speller29 Shrey Parikh. His winning word is bromocriptine. After a buzzworthy performance, he takes home the Scripps Cup, and the knowledge that what he tackles, he conquers. Congratulations! #spellingbee

As one of 2026's three youngest Bee Finalists, #Speller137 Ishaan Gupta held his own against the dictionary. We hope to see him return to make another bid to claim the Scripps Cup. Whatever happens, we're sure he'll achieve more on his bucket list, like visiting Switzerland and Italy. #spellingbee

It's a Spell-off! But what does it mean?

Two spellers remain. One is one of the youngest Finalists and the other is one of the oldest Finalists. Both have been here before, only one will take home the Scripps Cup. In unrelated news, we have no nails left. #spellingbee

First, he tied for 22nd place, then placed 3rd, now #Speller56 Sarv Dharavane earns another 3rd-place finish. As a 6th grader, he has more tries at the Scripps Cup. In his words, "Being a Finalist is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've done it twice." Third time could be the charm. #spellingbee