Scripps National Spelling Bee 2015: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Start Time, More

Every year, the sports world takes a brief sojourn from the athletic and the tangible to the completely cerebral with the arrival of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The buzz in 2015 will be no different, as the spotlight shines brightly upon 285 young academics looking to hoist the big golden trophy at Gaylord National in National Harbor, Maryland.  

This year marks the 88th edition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The competition begins Tuesday with the preliminaries test and culminates with the championship finals Thursday, May 28.

Last year saw Ansun Sujoe and Sriram Hathwar both take home top billing as co-champions. Sujoe and Hathwar correctly spelled feuilleton and stichomythia, respectively, in the final round to finish off the competition. The last time the tournament saw co-champions was back in 1962.

For those looking to pick up some devastating Scrabble fodder to impress grandma—you never know when a word like the 2008-winner guerdon will just fall into your lap—or just interested in the spirit of competition at a spelling bee, here's a rundown of the event info, from TV schedules to live streams and more.

Date	Round	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
May 26	The Preliminaries Test	9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
May 27	Round Two (Prelims)	8 am. - 11:45 a.m.		ESPN 3
May 27	Round Three (Prelims)	1:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.		ESPN 3
May 27	The Semifinals Test	7 p.m - 8 p.m.
May 28	Semifinals	10 a.m. - 1 p.m.	ESPN2	ESPN 3
May 28	Championship Finals	8 p.m. - 10 p.m.	ESPN	ESPN 3

Preview

As noted by the Scripps National Spelling Bee's official Twitter account, the spellers and their loved ones gathered in Maryland on May 24 for an orientation in preparation for a very intense few days of competition:

So just how young are these precocious spellers rattling off multisyllabic words on a national stage? Well, according to SpellingBee.com, 2015 participants cannot have advanced past the eighth grade—although participants are permitted to have but a few high school- or college-level courses under their belt—nor can they have turned 15 years old on or before August 31, 2014.

There are no dynasties in the world of Scripps; former champions are not allowed to compete again in the spelling bee. However, some return in other capacities, per the competition's Twitter account:

As far as format goes, the preliminaries and the semifinals consist of a combination of multiple-choice tests and oral on-stage spelling. It's a cutthroat process, as over the course of two days, the 285 spellers registered for 2015 will dwindle to between nine or 12. Those remaining few will then compete in the championship finals, in which each speller will spell one word per round, with any misstep resulting in elimination—unless there's a particularly disastrous round in which only one or even none of the participants correctly spell their words.

According to the website, Webster's Third New International Dictionary has the final, um, word on the correct spellings.

Note: Per the event website, the announcement of the semifinalists will immediately follow the end of Round 3, and it will be broadcast live on ESPN 3. The announcement of the championship finalists will immediately follow the end of the semifinals and be shown live on ESPN2 and ESPN 3.