Obtain a list of the words that will be used in the spelling bee. If your school spelling bee is being held in cooperation with Merriam-Webster, you can view a complete list of the current year's words on the Merriam-Webster Spell It! web site.
Review words by origin. You may notice the different ways in which various letters and sounds are treated. For example, French words typically use "ch" for "sh" sounds. German words often have larger clusters of consonants than words from other countries. The Merriam-Webster Spell It! site offers tips for each language of origin that may help in understanding how to treat these words.
Look up words that you are unfamiliar with in a dictionary. This will provide the pronunciation, origin and meaning.
Focus your attention on one short list of words at a time. Attempting to tackle the entire listing may seem daunting.
Read over the words and say each one out loud while looking at it. Turn your eyes away from the page, or cover it, then spell the word that you just said.
Look at the word you are studying for a moment, then cover it and write the word down. Check to see if you have spelled it correctly. If you have, writing it down two or three more times as you say each letter aloud or in your head may help you remember it more clearly.
Ask a study partner to read each word to you. After the word has been read, spell it back. If you spell it incorrectly, try again before having your partner tell you the correct spelling. Ask for hints rather than the answer outright. A good partner may be able to remind you of grammatical rules that will help you figure out the spelling of the word.
Go over your list several times with your study partner. If you misspell a word, make sure to go over that word again later until you get it correct on the first try. For example, if you spell five out of ten words right on the first pass, you will only have five words to go over the second time around. If you spell two of these correct, you are now going over only three words repetitively, and so on.