Develop an avid reading habit to expose yourself to more words. Exposure to as many words as possible will help you learn new words and become accustomed to common letter combinations in words. If you are preparing for a certain grade level spelling bee, read books intended for adults or higher grade levels to become familiar with more difficult words. Always keep a dictionary nearby to look up words that you do not know.
Spend extra time studying words that are commonly confused or misspelled. Know the meanings and appropriate usage of homonyms such as affect/effect, principal/principle, capital/capitol, illicit/elicit and others. Preparing to eliminate common spelling mistakes will not only make you a better spelling bee contestant, but it will help improve your writing.
In a spelling bee, words are spoken for contestants to spell. It will be necessary to not only know word spelling and definition, but pronunciation so you can hear and recognize a word. Pay attention to pronunciation guides in dictionaries and practice saying words correctly. Sound out words and recognize the number of syllables.You may choose to seek the assistance of a parent, partner or audio tape.
Many English words have Latin or Greek origin. Become familiar with the meanings of various Latin and Greek root words and their spelling. For example, knowing that "phila" is a Greek root word for love can help you to spell philanthropist with a "ph" instead of with an "f." Familiarity with root words and origins will help you to use the definition and language origin to correctly spell words that you do not already know.
Review and memorize words from previous national spelling bees. If words were chosen as good spelling bee words in the past, it is likely that they will be used again. Make index cards that show the correct spelling, pronunciation, definition and origin. Study these cards regularly.