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Three Bee Words of the Champions

The toughest rule-breakers and oddballs from the championship list. The full Three Bee list has 993 words from the 2026 Scripps Words of the Champions — practice them all with audio in our free spelling bee.

🐝 Practice these with audio

The full Three Bee word list (993 words)

à fond
ab aeterno
abaculus
abomasum
abraum
acacia
accordatura — the tuning scheme of a stringed musical instrument
aceituna
acerola
acetaminophen
acetone
acharya
Achernar
acicula
acidophilus
acoel
acrogeria
acropachy
ad nauseam
adieu
adscititious
Aegilops
aegrotat
aerocele
aerophilatelic
aes rude
Aesculapius — a person skilled in the art of healing : one duly authorized to treat disease : a physician
Aesir
aethalium
affiche
agitprop
Aglaia
agrypnia
ahimsa — the concept that humans should not hurt or kill anyone or anything
ahuatle
Ahuehuete
Ahura Mazda
ailanthus
aileron
ailette
aistopod
Aitutakian
ajimez
akkum
alate
alcarraza
Alfvén
alisier
alleluiatic
allochroous — altering color
almuerzo
alouatte
alpargata
altazimuth
amaryllis
amertoy
amour propre — self-love : self-respect, self-esteem
amphistylar
amuse-gueule
anabathmoi
anaphylaxis
anathema
ancien régime
andouille
anemone
angiitis
aniseikonia
Anno Hegirae
anomaliped
anosognosia
antenatus
Antigua
Apabhramsa
ape-ape
aperçu — a brief impression; especially : an intuitive insight
aphasia
Apistogramma
apocryphal
apophyge
Apostolici
Appaloosa
appetitost
après
Aramaic
Ardhamagadhi
Ardipithecus
ardoise
arenaceous
aretalogy
as nas
ascites
aspidistra
astaxanthin
astilbe
Asura
asylee
attacca
au bleu
au courant — well-informed . on a global scale At only 12 years old, Jody-Anne Maxwell Kingston, from Jamaica made history as the very first international ! 1998 champion of the Bee—winning it all in She showed the whole world that amazing spellers come from everywhere . Could you be next?
au jus
auwai
avgolemono
azotea
azulejo
baboen
baccate
bagwyn
bahr
bailiwick — jurisdiction
balata
balbriggan
baleen
banh mi
Barnumesque
Bartókian
Barylambda
bas-relief — a sculptural technique in which the image projects slightly from the background plane
batamote
battue
Baucis
bauxite
bavardage
Beauceron
beaumontage
Beaux arts
beccafico
Bêche-de-Mer
becquerel — a unit of radioactivity the equivalent of one disintegration per second
ben trovato
Beowulf
berceuse
bergère
Bernoulli effect
Bessemer
bêtise
betony
Bewusstseinslage
Bezier curve
bhangra — a fusion of Western pop music and traditional Punjabi music
bhikshuni
bibelot
bibimbap
bisbigliando
bismillah — — used as a Muslim invocation
blatherskite
blottesque
bobolink
Bohairic
Boise
Bolognese
boniface
bordereaux
Bosc
botryoidal
bouclé
boudin
bouillon
boulevardier
bouleversement — an overturning : a reversal
boutade
bozzetto
Braeburn
brouhaha
brume
bruschetta
buccal
buñuelo — a flat semisweet deep- fried cake usually served with sugar and cinnamon or cane syrup
Bunyanesque
burelage
burgee
Burkinabe
ca’canny
cabochon
cabotage — bee ready to bingo! Scripps National Spelling Bee Bingo is a fun, fast-paced twist on bingo for ages seven and up! Spell, define, and use words to fill your beehive-shaped board and win . With easy and hard words chosen by the Bee’s editorial team, plus 12 exciting game variations, it’s perfect for family game night or spelling parties . Order yours today at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores near you!
cacaxte
cachexia
cacoëthes
Caerphilly
caesious
cahiers
caique
cairn — a heap of stones, often in a rounded or pyramidal shape, made as a monument or as a landmark
caisson
calabash
calamondin
calenture
caliche
caló
calusar
calvities
camarilla
Camembert — a soft French cheese
canaille
canions
cantatrice
caprifig
Caracas
carcajou
carnifices
carrageenan
Carrickmacross
cartouches
caryatid — a carved female figure that acts as a support in place of a column
Casimir effect
Castalia
catachresis
cataphora
catarrh
catjang
cavalletti
caveola
cecidium
cephalopod
Cereus
cermet
certiorari
chalaza
chalumeau
chalybeate
Chamonix
champignon
Charon — in Greek mythology, a son of Erebus who ferries the souls of dead people over the Styx
Charybdis
chastushka
chasuble
chauve-souris
cheongsam — a fitted Chinese dress with a slit skirt and a stand-up collar
chèvre
chevrotain
chopine
chorten
choucroute
ciénaga
ciliopathy
cioppino — a dish of seasoned fish and shellfish cooked in tomato sauce
cire perdue
cirri
clerihew
cobalamin
coccygeal
cochineal
colcannon
colloque
colluctation
colporteur
colubrine
concatenate — to join or link together
concours
connoisseur
consanguine
consigliere
conteur
contrapposto
contretemps — mishap, predicament
copernicium
corrigenda
corybantic
coryphée
coterie — a clique or tight-knit group
cotoneaster
coulibiac
coulisse
coulrophobia
courgette
couverture
creances
crokinole
croquembouche
croquignole
croustade
cryptozoa — microscopic animals that live unseen in forest debris
cushag
cynghanedd
cynocephali
daguerreotype
Darjeeling
darmstadtium
de rigueur — required by etiquette or custom
decastich
degauss
Deimos
demitasse
démodé
demurrage
Déné
dentifrice
derring-do — bold, courageous, or fearless action : bravery
Deseret
desiccate
Devanagari
dghaisa
dhole
dhurrie
diapason
diaphanous — delicate and transparent
Djibouti
domnei
doxycycline
dragée
drahthaar
Dubhe
Dubuque
duello
duxelles — a sauce made of mushrooms and tomato puree
dvandva
Dvorak
dysphasia
ecchymosis
echelon — a level of responsibility in an organization
echinoderm
edamame
effete
effleurage
Egeria
eisteddfod
élan — spirit and flair . 45 44
eleemosynary
eluate
embouchure
emollient
emolument
emphysema
en arrière
Enoch Arden
enoki — a small edible mushroom
epideictic
epinicion
epistemology
epixylous
Equatoguinean
Erewhonian
ergatogyne
Eris
erythroblast
Esau
escarole
escheator
esclandre
espadrille — a casual shoe with a fabric upper and a rope sole
espalier
espial
estancia
estovers
estrepe
ethylene
étouffée — a shellfish stew of Cajun influence served over rice
eudiometer
Euroclydon
exchequer
faipule
farfalle — pasta that is shaped like a butterfly
farouche
farrago
Fatimid
fatshedera
fauchard
fauxbourdon
Feldenkrais
fellahin — peasants or agricultural laborers in Egypt, Syria, and other Arabic- speaking countries
ferruginous
fête champêtre
fetticus
fibromyalgia
Firbolg
flehmen
force majeure
Formica
frabjous
fracas — a loud brawl or fight
funori
furan
Furneaux
furuncle
gabarit
gabbro
gaffe — an action or mistake that causes social or political embarrassment
Gaia
gaillardia
Galahad
galatea
galena
gallivat
gambol — to jump or skip around playfully
Gaspesian
gasthaus
gattine
gayatri
Geatish
gegenschein
Gehenna — a place or state of misery
gelilah
gendarme
genet
genizah
gesellschaft
giallolino
ginglymus
Giorgionesque
Gippsland
glabella
glacis
glengarry
gliriform
glyceraldehyde
Gondwana
goondie
graywacke
griot — any of a class of West African musician- entertainers or storytellers whose performances include tribal genealogies and histories
Groenendael
Grundriss
Gruyère
guan
guapena
Guarnerius
guayabera — a usually short-sleeved lightweight sport shirt designed to be worn untucked
guerite
guichet
Guidonian
Gurmukhi
gyascutus
gyokuro
gypsophila
haikai
halala
halcyon — pleasingly calm or peaceful in its natural simplicity : serene
Hamtramck
hangul
hapalonychia
haupia
hebdomadal
hei-tiki
heiau
hellebore
hemorrhage — a rapid, uncontrollable loss or flowing out
hennin
henotheism
hepatectomy
Herodotean
Hessian
hexenbesen
hieracosphinx
Hippolyta
hirsute — hairy, shaggy
hoi polloi
holobenthic
hominin
homoscedasticity
hordeolum
houppelande
Hsia
Huallaga
huerta — a plot of highly cultivated land in Spain, such as for an orchard
Humboldt
hutia
hypaethral
hyssop
hysteresis
hysteron proteron
Iceni
ichthyology — the study of fishes
icosahedron
ikebana
immie
in nuce
in silico
incunabula
inglenook
insouciance — an attitude of not worrying about what others think of one’s work or behavior
integument
internecine
interregnum
Inugsuk — it’s all Greek to me Ever wonder why some English words sound like they came from another language? That’s because most English words were borrowed from other languages—like Greek, Latin, French, and more! We took those words, made them part of our everyday language, English . Cool, right? So when you spell and now they’re officially tricky words, you’re actually traveling around the world!
Inuk
isagoge
Ishihara test
ivermectin
jacqueminot
Jahiliya — the pre-Islamic period in Arabia
jai alai
janthina
jasmone
jerboa
jocote
joropo
Jumada
Jungian
kakapo
kaleidoscope
kalimba
kalopanax
kangri
Kannada
kapparah
katakana
katana — a single-edged sword that is the longer of a pair worn by the Japanese samurai
kathakali
keeshond
kentledge
Keplerian
kerril
kichel
kipuka
Kitksan
kiva
Kjeldahl
koh-i-noor — something felt to be the best of its kind, such as a valuable diamond
Koine
koji
konditorei
korrigan
krewe — a private organization staging festivities such as parades and balls during Mardi Gras in New Orleans
kriegspiel
Kuiper Belt
Kutani
kwashiorkor
kyphoplasty
La Tène
laccolith
lanceolate — shaped like the head of a spear
langrage
Latinxua
lebensraum
leberwurst
lebkuchen
lecithin
lefse
lierre
ligas
lilliputian — excessively small
limaçon
Llullaillaco
lobscouse
loggia
logodaedaly
logothete
lokelani
loquitur
louche
loupe — a tool used by jewelers and watchmakers for magnification
luftmensch
lunulae
Lupercalia
macchiato
macigno
mackinaw
macushla
mademoiselle
maerl
maillot
majuscule
Makgadikgadi Pans
malaise — an indefinite feeling of general lack of health
Mandelbrot set
mandorla
mandragora
mange-tout
mangonel
Manu
Marathi
marcel
marcescent — withering without falling off — used of a plant part
maringouin
martinoe
mascarpone
mässig
mediobrome
medulla
megrims
meiosis
mele
Menaia
Merak
meringue — a mixture of beaten egg whites and powdered sugar baked at low temperature and used as a topping
Metonic cycle
micellar
microfiche
mille-feuille
millegrain
miombo
Mirach
miscible
mittimus
moiety
moline
mondegreen
MOOC
moraine
morion
mortadella
motherumbung
mozo
muesli
mufti — a jurist whose job is to interpret Islamic religious law
muktuk
muliebrity
Muzak
myeloma
Nabal
nacelle
nahcolite
naricorn
Naugahyde
naumachia
neem
neophyte — a beginner
Ner Tamid
nescience
Nethinim
ni-Vanuatu
Nicoise
nidicolous — nest-dwelling, often in another animal’s nest
nimiety
niminy-piminy
nisi
nisus
nival
niveau
nodosity
notturno
noumenon
nouveau
Novanglian
nyctinasty
Oaxaca
obeisant
Oenone
oeuvre
ogival
olecranon
onomatopoeia — formation of words in imitation of natural sounds
onychorrhexis
oolite
oopuhue
Oort cloud
oppidan
Orinoco
ormolu
orogeny — the process of forming mountains
orphéon
oryx
ostium
Ouagadougou
oud
outré — bizarre, extravagant
oviparous
oxyacetylene
paella
pahoehoe
Palaihnihan
palaver
palooka
pampootie
panacea — a cure-all
Panathenaea
Panchen Lama
panettone
panjandrum
pannose
pappardelle
parallax
pareidolia
Parmentier
parquet
parterre
parti pris
pas seul
pasilla
pastitsio
patois — a dialect other than the literary or standard dialect
Patripassianism
pejorate
pekoe
perciatelli
perianth
perruche
petechia
Philistine — unaware of aesthetics : insensitive
philopatry
phloem
phlox
Phobos
photovoltaic
piatti
piccata — thin slices of meat (such as veal) that are sautéed and served in a sauce of butter and lemon
pierrot
piloncillo
pinniped
pistou
pitanga
Plantagenet
pneumatocyst
pochoir
podagra
podotheca
point d’appui
polyandry
portugais
porwigle
pot-au-feu
pothos
potpourri — a mixture of flower petals and spices kept in a jar and used for perfume or scent
pou sto
poudre B
prajna
pralltriller
pratique
presidio
prêt-à-porter
prion
prodissoconch
Promethean
promyshlennik
pruritus
psalmody — the act or practice of singing religious songs in worship
pschent
psoriasis
ptyxis
pudibund
pulvillus
pylorus — the opening from the stomach into the intestine
Pythagorean
Pyxis
qiyas
Quaoar
quasar
quattrocento — the 15th-century period in Italian art and literature
Quito
quoc-ngu
quokka
quonk
Quonset
raclette
rafflesia
railleur — one given to good- natured ridicule
rajpramukh
rapparee
rapprochement
Rastafarian
Rayleigh wave
realpolitik
recamier
redingote
rembrandt
rennet
renvoi
rescissible
reveille — a signal (as by a bugle) sounded to call military personnel (as sailors) to begin the day
rhododendron
rhyton
rickettsial
rinceau
risorgimento
risposta
rissole
Robigalia
rocaille
roi fainéant
rondeau
rooseveltite
rosemaling
roseola
rouille
rubaiyat — poetic units of four lines
rubefacient
ruelle
runcible spoon
rupicolous
ruscus
rutabaga — a large, edible turnip with a yellowish root
ryas
Ryeland
Ryukyu
saccharide
saeta
Sagittarius
sakura
salmagundi
samsara
Sangamon
sangfroid — extraordinary usually callous composure or steadiness under strain
sanglier
sannyasi
sansculotte
Saoshyant
Sapporo
savoir faire
Sawan
Sbrinz
scaberulous
scagliola
Schedar
schefflera
schnecken
schwegel
sciatica
sciolistic
sclaff
scobiform
scrofula
seine — join the Word Club! Looking for a cool new way to study? Check out the Word Club app—it’s totally free on the App Store and Google Play! 2026 Words of the Champions With Word Club, mastering the is super fun! Choose from quizzes and study games for both spelling and vocabulary . Plus, you get expert audio pronunciations straight from the Bee’s very . Dr. Jacques Bailly own head pronouncer, Get ready to level up your spelling skills anytime, anywhere!
selah
semaphore
seraya
serin
serval
sesquipedalian — characterized by or tending to use lengthy words
sessile
seton
Sfax
sforzando
Shawwal
Shiba Inu
silique
siscowet
skaamoogs
Skeltonic
skerrick
smriti
sobornost
soirée — a party that happens in the evening
sororal
sorrel
sostenuto
sous vide
spiedini
spindle
spodumene
sprechstimme
sravaka
stevedore — someone whose job is to load and unload a ship
Strelitzia
stretto
Strigolniki
stroganoff
struthious
stupa
sturnine
stygian
styptic
succès fou
succorance
Sufi
supercilious
surreptitious — secret
svarabhakti
Svengali
swainsona
sybaritic
synanthrope
syncope
taal
tachycardia
tachyon
taedium vitae
tam-o’-shanter
tamari — a type of aged soy sauce often without added wheat and that is of high quality
tambour
tanager
tandoori
tannined
taoiseach — the prime minister of Ireland
tapetum
tarpaulin
taurine
Tchefuncte
Tegucigalpa
telamon
teledu
telegnosis
temalacatl
tempeh — a food originating in Asia made of fermented soybeans
teneramente
teocalli
terai
teraphim
teratism
terra nullius
Terre Haute
tessitura
Teutonic
thalassic — relating to the ocean or the sea
theca
Theravada
thesmothete
thimerosal
Thomism
thuluth
tic douloureux
tichodrome
tikka — an Indian dish of marinated meat cooked on a skewer
tikkun
Tillamook
tilleul
tinamou
tinnient
tintinnabulary
tiramisu
tmesis
toccata
toey
toggenburg
toile
Tok Pisin
tomahawk — a Native North American ax used as a weapon
tomalley
tonsillitis
topazolite
toque
toreutics
torii — a Japanese gateway commonly built at the approach to a Shinto shrine
toril
tourelle
tournedos
towhee
trichinosis
triduum
trillado — market coffee made by sun-drying the beans
triskelion
tristeza
trochee
trompe l’oeil
trotteur
trous-de-loup
trouvaille
tryptophan
tsukupin
tullibee
tusche
Typhoean
ubi sunt
ubiquinone
ullage
ululate — to cry out a typically long and rhythmical noise
unakite
unguiculate
ungulate
uraeus
urushiol
Ushuaia
usufruct — the right to use or enjoy something . 53 52
valvata
varicella
velouté
verisimilitude
vermeil
vexillologist — a specialist in the study of flags
viaticum
vicissitudes
vigneron
vignette
vilipend
villanelle
villi
vinaceous
vitiate
vituperative — marked by or consisting of wordy disparagement
vizierial — consonants 101: double trouble? Not sure if a word has one consonant or two? Here’s (like a verb a handy tip: check if the word has a suffix that’s been changed to show tense) . Often— but not always —words double the consonant right before the suffix! For example: hopped off the log . • The speckled frog down the lane . plodded • The horse chugged down the tracks . • The train ? Notice how the vowel right before the doubled consonant is a short sound Can you find other words where the vowel is short and the consonant doubles? What about words with a long vowel sound where the consonant stays single? Give it a try and become a consonant detective!
wabeno
Waf
wahine — a surfer who is female
Wampanoag
wapiti
waringin
weka
weltschmerz — mental listlessness or depression brought about by comparing how the world is to how it ideally should be
Wensleydale
wentletrap
whippoorwill
whydah
wigan
wongshy
wushu — martial arts originating in China
xerogel
xiphophyllous
xyloglyphy
yakitori — small pieces of chicken, seafood or beef that have been marinated and are then grilled on skewers made of bamboo
yertchuk
yosenabe
Yponomeuta
yttriferous
yuga — one of the four ages of a Hindu world cycle
yuloh
zacate
zaibatsu
Zamboni — — a machine that resurfaces ice . buzz through bee history! Celebrate 100 years of spelling greatness at our brand-new history microsite: history.spellingbee.com! , this site is your all-access Launched in honor of the Bee’s centennial in 2025 pass to the Bee’s past . Explore every year of the Bee’s history, meet all former champions, discover every winning word, and learn about the officials and directors who’ve shaped the competition . Plus, you’ll find fun facts, surprising stories, and audio interviews with dozens of past champs . Whether you’re a spelling superfan or just curious, there’s something for everyone
Zanni
zapateado
Zdarsky tent
zemi
zimocca
zortzico
zugzwang — the need to make a move in chess when it is not to one’s advantage
Zyzomys

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