Spelling bee words: random word generator

This page draws spelling bee words one at a time: the pronouncer spins, reads the word aloud and the speller spells it. Six ready-made lists run from grades 1–2 up to hard words for teens and adults, 108 words in all. You can also paste your own word list – from school, from a competition guide or from this week’s homework.

Source: W3C Recommendation, W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues(). Updated: 6 October 2026.

Words (one per line)

Weight with an asterisk: "Pizza *3" gets three times the chance. The list is kept in this browser; use “Share this wheel” to pass it on.

Remove the winning entry from the wheel

Colours

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Result

Slices on the wheel: 18
Chance per entry: Entry Chance
answer 5.56%
balloon 5.56%
bridge 5.56%
caught 5.56%
circle 5.56%
different 5.56%
early 5.56%
enough 5.56%
famous 5.56%
heard 5.56%
island 5.56%
kitchen 5.56%
knife 5.56%
library 5.56%
minute 5.56%
people 5.56%
surprise 5.56%
through 5.56%

Entry	Chance
answer	5.56%
balloon	5.56%
bridge	5.56%
caught	5.56%
circle	5.56%
different	5.56%
early	5.56%
enough	5.56%
famous	5.56%
heard	5.56%
island	5.56%
kitchen	5.56%
knife	5.56%
library	5.56%
minute	5.56%
people	5.56%
surprise	5.56%
through	5.56%

How it is calculated

A spelling bee needs a pronouncer, a speller and a word nobody has seen in advance – the wheel supplies the word. In a list of 18 words each one comes up with a probability of 1 in 18, about 5.56%; with “Remove the winning entry” ticked, no word is asked twice.

How to run a spelling bee with this page

Choose the list for your grade, or paste your own words, one per line.
The pronouncer turns the screen away from the spellers and presses Spin the wheel.
The pronouncer says the word, uses it in a sentence and says it again.
The speller says the word, spells it letter by letter and says it once more.
Correct: the speller stays in. Wrong: the pronouncer gives the correct spelling and the speller sits down. The last speller standing wins.

The ready-made word lists

List	Examples	What makes the words tricky
Grades 1–2	friend, night, queen	common letter pairs such as ie, gh and qu
Grade 3	caught, island, knife	silent letters
Grade 4	calendar, necessary, February	double letters and unstressed vowels
Grade 5	rhythm, separate, conscious	words that are not spelled as they sound
Grade 6	accommodate, mischievous, privilege	classic stumbling blocks of older spellers
Hard	onomatopoeia, connoisseur, mnemonic	loanwords from Greek and French

“All (108)” loads every list at once; each word then has a probability of 1 in 108, about 0.93%. The grade labels are a rough guide for sorting practice words – they are not the official list of any school district or competition.

British or American spelling?

Almost all words in the lists are spelled the same on both sides of the Atlantic. The exception is neighbor in the Grade 5 list, which is neighbour in British English – edit the line if you teach British spelling, or keep it as a talking point. When you add your own words, decide beforehand which spelling counts (colour or color, organise or organize) and tell the spellers.

Practicing alone or with a parent

At home the parent plays the pronouncer. A good routine is ten words a day: spin, say, spell, check. Write the missed words on a separate list and paste only those into the box the next day. Children who practice alone can spin, look at the word for five seconds, cover the screen and write the word down.

Team bees and classroom variations

For a team bee, split the class with the random team generator and let the teams take turns; keep the points with the score keeper. To decide who spells next, use the roll number picker or the random name picker. For vocabulary instead of spelling, the random word generator offers more words.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use the spelling bee word generator?

Pick a list, hide the screen from the spellers and spin. Read the word aloud; the speller spells it. Tick “Remove the winning entry from the wheel” so that each word is used once.

What are good spelling bee words for 3rd grade?

Words with silent letters and common irregular patterns, for example answer, caught, island, knife, library and through. The “Grade 3” list has 18 of them.

What are hard spelling bee words?

Loanwords and words with unusual letter groups, such as onomatopoeia, connoisseur, mnemonic, chrysanthemum and idiosyncrasy. They are in the “Hard” list.

How many words are included?

108 words in six lists of 18: grades 1–2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, grade 6 and hard.

Can I use my own word list?

Yes. Clear the text box and paste your words, one per line – for example the list your school sent home.

Are these the official competition words?

No. The lists were compiled for practice on this page. For a competition, use the study list of the organiser and paste it into the box.

Does the generator read the word aloud?

No. The word appears on the screen and a person – teacher, parent or classmate – acts as pronouncer.

Do the lists use British or American spelling?

Nearly all words are spelled the same in both. “Neighbor” in the Grade 5 list is the American form; change it to “neighbour” for British spelling.

Sources and legal basis

W3C Recommendation: W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues()
MDN Web Docs – Crypto.getRandomValues()

As of: 6 October 2026 · Editorial policy