Do Spelling Bees Still Matter? | The Social

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Hold on to your HATS because this national spell off might just blow you away. Take a look.

[00:00:07]>> blintze walk >> b l i n t z w a l k >> tessera con ter >> t e s s e r a c o n t e r >> arachothapsia >> a r a c h o t h a p s i a >> rapakivi >> r a p a k i v i a >> y a >> y u a y b >> Wow, 13 year old Shrey Parikh correctly spelled 32 extremely hard words in just 90 seconds and took home more than $50,000 in prizes. Fantastic.

[00:00:33]>> Congratulations.

[00:00:34]>> So impressive.

[00:00:35]>> But but hey, in the era of auto correct and AI, April, are spelling bees still relevant?

[00:00:41]>> Yes, they are. For someone who choked at every spelling test in grade school, and I'm still still dealing with the I before E, that that young man or E BEFORE I, WHATEVER. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. WE ALL ARE. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. He has a job at the White Look, we have >> [laughter] >> We have a president that can't even pronounce words, let alone spell them.

[00:01:06]That man That young man has a bright future. I mean, how many of us can spell Wednesday?

[00:01:12]>> EVERYBODY'S THINKING ABOUT IT.

[00:01:14]>> RAISING THEIR HAND.

[00:01:15]>> WEDNESDAY. [laughter] WEDNESDAY.

[00:01:17]>> YEAH, BUT WHAT is that n d u i n g Wednesday?

[00:01:20]>> Yes, yes.

[00:01:21]>> What is that n d u i n g there, for real? BUT OKAY, BUT >> [laughter] >> SO SUSAN, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS YOUNG MAN?

[00:01:26]>> I DON'T THINK it's actually about spelling for me. Like, these contests are about the process for these kids.

[00:01:30]Like, they don't just show up and and know those words, right? A lot of them don't know the words till they're challenged in that moment. They're studying linguistics, they're studying patterns, they're studying history, and then they're tested in that moment.

[00:01:41]Yeah, and they have to go into the Rolodex in their brain, think, analyze, process, perform in front of people.

[00:01:47]Like, that's an important skill to maintain, I think.

[00:01:49]>> Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with the kid's synapse. Did you see how quickly he was answering?

[00:01:52]>> It's incredible.

[00:01:53]>> IT WAS LIKE THAT PRE-MENOPAUSE has erased that quickness from my brain.

[00:01:56]>> [laughter] >> So, I was just IMPRESSED WITH THAT.

[00:01:58]>> BUT, ARE YOU A GOOD SPELLER?

[00:01:59]>> HEAR ME OUT. If if things go really well for the next, let's say, 1,000 years, you know, we don't have to be scared of AI, then maybe they are, you know, irrelevant because we now have machines that can do these sorts of things.

[00:02:11]>> Just to be clear.

[00:02:12]>> HEAR ME OUT. FREEING UP OUR MINDS for sort of higher thinking because one of the words they spelled, listen to this, was paramaya.

[00:02:20]I don't know how to spell it, but they were able to spell it, which is so impressive, and it means proverb. But, did they know what a proverb means? Did they know the difference between a wise proverb and A CLEVER PROVERB?

[00:02:31]>> THROUGH the dictionary. Every word, I guarantee you.

[00:02:36]>> I know, but sometimes you >> We can use a computer to do the memorization.

[00:02:39]>> it is memorization, though. Have you ever read a word and then looked at the definition if you didn't know it? I think it's important for kids to still use their brain, regardless of what technology is coming. And let me be a cautionary tale, kids. In grade seven, I was the spelling bee queen.

[00:02:50]>> Ooh!

[00:02:50]>> And I [cheering] won.

[00:02:52]>> [applause] >> A Keela and the bee.

[00:02:53]>> A KEELA AND THE BEE.

[00:02:55]>> A KEELA and the bee, right here in the flesh.

[00:02:57]>> Yes.

[00:02:58]>> I can't SPELL NECESSARY. LIKE, >> [laughter] >> YOU KNOW WHY? YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE I STARTED using this, and before I even type in two letters, my phone fills it in for me. So, my ability just to spell has diminished so much that I am embarrassed. So, children, please do not become me. Continue to study, read all [laughter] of the dictionaries, learn the words because I can't spell anything to save my life.