Prime Minister's Spelling Bee — Complete Guide for Australian Students
The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is Australia's most prestigious school spelling competition, open to students in Years 3 to 8. Each year, thousands of Australian students compete from classroom level all the way to a national final. This guide covers everything you need to know — how the competition works, what words to expect at each year level, and how to practise effectively.
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Start Practising FreeWhat Is the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee?
The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is a national spelling competition run annually for Australian primary and lower secondary school students. The competition is designed to promote literacy and a love of the English language across Australian schools, with a particular focus on correct Australian English spelling.
Unlike a traditional oral spelling bee (where students spell aloud in front of judges), the Australian competition typically uses a written format where students write their answers under timed conditions — similar to a spelling test. This format is used at school level heats, with oral rounds sometimes introduced at later stages.
Competition Structure
The competition is run in rounds, with students progressing from their school to regional, state, and ultimately national level. Words increase in difficulty at each round.
| Round | Who Competes | Format | Word Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| School Heats | All eligible students at the school | Written test | Year-level appropriate |
| Regional Heats | Top students from local schools | Written test | Slightly harder |
| State Finals | Top regional finalists | Written + oral rounds | Challenging vocabulary |
| National Final | State winners | Oral spelling bee format | Championship level |
Year levels are grouped for competition purposes — typically Years 3–4 compete together, Years 5–6 together, and Years 7–8 together, each with an age-appropriate word list.
Who Can Enter?
The competition is open to Australian students in Years 3 through 8. Students register through their school — individual entries are not accepted. Schools register as a whole, and the competition is coordinated through each state and territory's education department.
If your school has not previously entered the competition, contact your principal or literacy coordinator to ask about registering. The competition organisers typically send registration information to schools at the start of the school year.
Word Lists by Year Level
The official word list for the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is not publicly released. However, the competition draws from Australian English vocabulary appropriate to each year group. Below are examples of the kinds of words students encounter at each level — all drawn from our database of 76,000+ Australian spelling words.
Year 3–4 · Green Level
Year 3–4 words focus on foundational vocabulary that students are expected to know at this age. Correct Australian spelling conventions (colour, neighbour, favourite) are tested from the earliest levels.
Year 5–6 · Orange Level
By Years 5 and 6, students are expected to handle words with more complex patterns — double letters, silent letters, and less predictable vowel combinations. Australian spellings like jewellery, behaviour, and organisation are common at this level.
Year 7–8 · Red Level
At Years 7–8, the competition introduces words from academic, scientific, and literary domains. Many words have Greek or Latin roots. Students who have practised extensively with lower-level words and are expanding their vocabulary into these domains will have a significant advantage.
💡 Tip: Our app has 76,000+ words across all these levels, each with an authentic Australian accent recording and an example sentence. Practise hearing the word in context — that's exactly how the competition presents it.
How to Prepare for the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee
Students who do well in spelling competitions don't just memorise word lists — they develop a deep understanding of how English words are built. Here's a structured approach that works.
1. Start with your year-level words
Begin by making sure you can spell every common word at your year level confidently. These are the words that will appear in the early rounds. Use our Green level for Years 3–4, Orange for Years 5–6, and Red for Years 7–8. Work through words in sessions of 20–30 at a time, noting any you get wrong to revisit.
2. Learn word roots, prefixes, and suffixes
A significant proportion of English spelling bee words have Greek or Latin origins. Knowing roots like phon (sound), graph (write), bio (life), chron (time), and geo (earth) helps you work out the spelling of unfamiliar words. When you encounter a new word, look up its origin — this makes it much easier to remember.
3. Practise with audio
The competition presents words aloud. Train by listening to words spoken, then spelling them — don't just look at words on a page. Our app plays each word in an authentic Australian accent, followed by an example sentence, and then the word again — mirroring the exact format used in competition.
4. Focus on your weak spots
Keep a list of words you consistently get wrong. Revisit them every few days. Research shows that spaced repetition — reviewing difficult material at increasing intervals — is far more effective than massed practice. Our app tracks your missed words automatically so you can focus your practice time where it matters most.
5. Practise under timed conditions
In competition, students have limited time to write their answer. Practise spelling quickly and clearly. Our app gives you 25 seconds per word — enough time to think but short enough to keep you focused.
6. Read widely
Students who read regularly have a natural advantage in spelling competitions. Reading exposes you to words in context, which helps both comprehension and spelling. Aim for a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and quality news sources appropriate to your age.
Australian Spelling: What Makes It Different
The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee tests Australian English spelling, which differs from American English in several important ways. Getting these right is essential — a word spelled in American English is marked incorrect even if the spelling is otherwise perfect.
- -our not -or: colour, flavour, honour, neighbour, behaviour (not color, flavor, honor)
- -ise not -ize: organise, realise, recognise, authorise (not organize, realize)
- -re not -er: centre, theatre, metre, litre (not center, theater)
- -ll- in the middle: travelling, modelling, jewellery (not traveling, modeling)
- -ogue not -og: catalogue, dialogue, analogue (not catalog, dialog)
- -ae- and -oe-: paediatric, oestrogen, encyclopaedia (not pediatric, estrogen)
All 76,000+ words in our app use correct Australian spelling, so practising with our app automatically reinforces these conventions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee word list available publicly?
The official word list is not publicly released by the competition organisers. However, competition words are drawn from Australian English vocabulary appropriate to each year level. Our app includes over 76,000 Australian English words that cover the full range of difficulty levels used in the competition — from Year 3–4 foundational words right through to championship-level vocabulary.
What year levels are eligible to compete?
The competition is open to students in Years 3 through 8. Students compete in year-group brackets (typically Years 3–4, Years 5–6, and Years 7–8), each with a word list calibrated to that age group.
How do I register my school for the competition?
Schools register as a whole through their state or territory education department. If your school hasn't registered, speak to your principal or literacy coordinator. Registration information is typically distributed to schools at the beginning of the school year.
Is the competition written or oral?
The early rounds are typically written — students hear a word and write their spelling. Oral rounds (where students spell aloud, as in the traditional spelling bee format) are sometimes introduced at state and national finals level.
How much should my child practise each day?
Short, consistent sessions are more effective than occasional marathon study. Aim for 10–20 minutes of focused spelling practice each day in the lead-up to the competition. Our app is designed for exactly this kind of daily practice — a session of 10–20 words takes around 10 minutes and keeps practice feeling manageable rather than overwhelming.
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