Scripps National Spelling Bee: What to know, how to watch, stream 2024 competition

Brush off the dictionaries and fasten the bifocals – it's officially "Bee Week."

The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee returns to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland with preliminary rounds beginning Tuesday and continuing Wednesday before a champion – champions? – is crowned Thursday night.

Of the 245 spellers, ages 8 to 15, 180 are first-time national finalists. Within the 65 returning spellers are a handful of competitors who have made it to the finals in recent years – four from 2023 and two from 2022.

Finalists compete for escalating cash prizes, and the winner is awarded $52,500 in cash total. A trio of spellers are competing in their fourth Scripps National Spelling Bees. Sixteen spellers are in their third Bee, and 13 are making their third consecutive appearance.

How to stream, watch 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee

The preliminaries, quarterfinals and semifinals can all be streamed on a variety of platforms: ION Plus, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and spellingbee.com. A special semifinals broadcast will air Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. ET on ION and Scripps News, as well as Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, Laff and Defy TV.

The finals will air live in primetime on ION from 8-10 p.m. on Thursday, May 30.

Scripps reported its best ratings for a finals broadcast since 2012 with 6.1 million viewers last year, which was a 30% increase compared to 2022. ION is Scripps' national network and has aired the Bee since 2022; ESPN previously had the broadcast rights for the Bee.

2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee schedule (all times Eastern)

Tuesday: Preliminaries (rounds one and two), 8 a.m-4:10 p.m.; preliminaries (round three), 4:20-7:40 p.m.

Wednesday: Quarterfinals, 8 a.m.-12:45 p.m.; semifinals 2:30-6:30 p.m.

Thursday: Finals, 8-10 p.m., ION

Who will win the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee?

Shradha Rachamreddy (speller 13) tied for third place in last year's competition and is considered a front-runner heading into the week. Aryan Khedkar (speller 111) tied for fifth in 2023 and Tarini Nandakumar (speller 205), finished ninth. Sarah Fernandes (speller 131) tied for 10th place.

Aliyah Alpert (speller 4) and Kirsten Santos (speller 212) are the pair of returning 2022 finalists.

Logan Edwards (speller 197), Nandakumar and Rachamreddy are all making their fourth national final appearances.

The contestants are representing 173 public schools, 32 private schools, 21 parochial schools and 12 charter schools. Seven are homeschooled.

What are Spelling Bee prizes?

All spellers are given one-year subscriptions to both Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online and Britannica Online Premium. Quarterfinalists receive a commemorative medal and a $100 gift card, while semifinalists receive a $500 gift card.

Prize money for the finalists, from the Bee, is awarded in the following order:

• Finalist to 7th place - $2,000

• 6th place - $2,500

• 5th place - $5,000

• 4th place - $10,000

• 3rd place - $15,000

• 2nd place - $25,000

The winner receives:

• $50,000 cash (from Scripps)

• The Scripps Cup, the official championship trophy of the Scripps National Spelling Bee

• $2,500 cash and reference library from Encyclopedia Britannica (courtesy of Merriam-Webster)

• $400 of reference works, including a 1768 Encyclopedia Britannica Replica Set and a three-year membership to Britannica Online Premium (from Encyclopedia Britannica)

• $1,000 Scholastic Dollars to be donated to the school of the champion’s choice in their honor (from SugarBee Apple)

Who is the youngest speller?

Sanil Thorat (speller 91), a third grader from Fairfield Elementary Magnet School in Shreveport, Louisiana, is the only 8-year-old who made it to the national competition. There are five 9-year-olds spelling.

Who won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee?

Dev Shah, now a rising sophomore in high school from Florida, won the competition as an eighth grader last year. His winning word was psammophile.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee: How to stream, watch on ION