The Williamsburg Spelling Bee Rules

In preparation for the recommencement of the bee in 2012, here's what you need to know:

The Rules

1. Signup starts at 7pm and we take the first 18 people.

2. Open to everyone who’s legally allowed to be in a bar. Occasionally, teens have come with a parent, but the bar has final say on who comes in.

3. Three-strikes-you’re-out — you get two “freebies”!

4. Beer is encouraged. In fact, buying alcohol is what keeps the bee going, so please do!

5. Everyone is welcome to participate in every spelling bee up to the Finals, when the winners of the season’s previous bees will square off for the championship!

6. You don’t actually have to say the word before and after spelling it, but it’s a nice idea. If you start spelling a word and you lose your place, you can start over without changing anything, but once a letter comes out of your mouth, it’s set in stone.

7. If you’re Canadian (or even if you aren’t), you can say “zed” for “z” and “double-l” instead of “l, l”; however, all spellings must be American-style.

8. You can’t bring pen and paper up to the mic, but you can pretend to write on your hand if you want.