• 47 words

Junior High Spelling Bee Words From History to Poetry

Five bee rounds of grade 7 and 8 subject words, read aloud word, sentence, word.

Edit this list or use your own words

The 10 words of this list. Add or change any. For your own list, press Clear first.

For a sentence, put it after a colon: rain: The rain fell all day. Up to 40 words.

Sheet to show and print

Warm-up: US history and civics (ratify)

Words to learn. Read each word, cover it, write it, then check it.

  1. 1.abolitionThe club voted for the abolition of fees.
  2. 2.ratifyThree fourths of the states must ratify an amendment.
  3. 3.federalismUnder federalism, states and the nation share power.
  4. 4.legislativeCongress is the legislative branch.
  5. 5.delegateEach state sent a delegate to the meeting.
  6. 6.frontierSettlers moved west toward the frontier.
  7. 7.pioneerThe pioneer family crossed the plains by wagon.
  8. 8.homesteadThey built a cabin on their homestead.
  9. 9.reconstructionThe town began its reconstruction after the flood.
  10. 10.emancipationFreedom from control is called emancipation.

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Make a word search

Each word is read aloud, then used in a sentence. Type what you hear. The marks come at the end.

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Reading speed

Accents do not count: café may be typed as cafe, and the marks show how it is written.

Only voices built into this device are used, so the words are not sent to a speech service to be read. With no voice, a person reads the words from the last page of the test sheet.

Review test from several lists
Tick the lists to draw 10 words from

The words are mixed from the lists you tick, so a review test needs a read-aloud voice.

Next step Easier rounds: the grade 6 beePick the next speller at random

All 47 words

Warm-up: US history and civics (ratify) 10

  • abolition The club voted for the abolition of fees.
  • delegate Each state sent a delegate to the meeting.
  • emancipation Freedom from control is called emancipation.
  • federalism Under federalism, states and the nation share power.
  • frontier Settlers moved west toward the frontier.
  • homestead They built a cabin on their homestead.
  • legislative Congress is the legislative branch.
  • pioneer The pioneer family crossed the plains by wagon.
  • ratify Three fourths of the states must ratify an amendment.
  • reconstruction The town began its reconstruction after the flood.

Round 2: life science (mitosis) 9

  • allele Each parent passes on one allele of a gene.
  • antibody An antibody helps the body fight germs.
  • cellulose Plant cell walls are made of cellulose.
  • genotype A genotype is an organism's set of genes.
  • mitosis In mitosis, one cell splits into two.
  • mutation A mutation is a change in a gene.
  • organelle The nucleus is an organelle inside the cell.
  • pathogen A pathogen is a germ that causes disease.
  • phenotype Eye color is part of your phenotype.

Round 3: physical science (proton) 10

  • compound Water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen.
  • density Oil floats on water because of its lower density.
  • electron An electron has a negative charge.
  • kinetic A rolling ball has kinetic energy.
  • momentum The sled gained momentum on the steep hill.
  • neutron A neutron has no charge.
  • proton A proton has a positive charge.
  • reactant Each reactant is used up in the reaction.
  • solute Salt is the solute in salt water.
  • solvent Water is the solvent in salt water.

Round 4: algebra and geometry (theorem) 9

  • bisector A bisector cuts an angle into two equal parts.
  • function Each input of a function has exactly one output.
  • linear A linear equation graphs as a straight line.
  • parabola The graph of the equation is a parabola.
  • polynomial A polynomial can have several terms.
  • quadratic A quadratic equation has an x squared term.
  • tangent A tangent line touches a circle at one point.
  • theorem We proved the theorem step by step.
  • transversal A transversal crosses two parallel lines.

Final round: literature (irony) 9

  • ballad The ballad tells a sad story in song.
  • connotation The word cozy has a warm connotation.
  • couplet The poem ends with a rhyming couplet.
  • denotation The denotation of a word is its dictionary meaning.
  • epithet Swift-footed is an epithet for a runner.
  • irony The irony is that the fire station burned down.
  • motif Light is a motif that repeats through the novel.
  • paradox Less is more is a famous paradox.
  • sonnet A sonnet has fourteen lines.

How it works

These 47 words are the vocabulary of grades 7 and 8: US history and civics, life science, physical science, algebra and geometry, and literature. Each is read in a sentence that shows its meaning; the grades are our suggestion.

Read the full guide

What each round tests

The warm-up is history and civics (federalism, emancipation). Round 2 is life science (organelle, phenotype) and Round 3 physical science (neutron, momentum). Round 4 is algebra and geometry (polynomial, transversal), and the final round literature: connotation, epithet, couplet.

One round, two ways

On a screen, Start round says the word, its sentence and the word again, and the speller types; marks come when the round ends, with the missed words ready to retry. For a bee spoken aloud, choose Word list and press Print, and read from the sheet.

  • Allele doubles the l and ends in e; say al-lele slowly before typing.
  • Proton, neutron and electron all end in on: spell the start, then add the ending.

Questions and answers

How hard are these junior high bee words?

Hard enough for a strong reader: polynomial and emancipation run to five syllables. None of the 47 is on our grade 6 to 9 lists, and Edit this list swaps in words your class knows.

Why subject words instead of tricky everyday words?

The tricky everyday words, such as accommodate and rhythm, are already on our grade 7 and 8 lists. These come from class, so the bee also reviews what the week taught, and each sentence shows the word in use.

Which rounds suit a mixed grade 6 to 8 group?

Start with Round 3, where no word has more than three syllables (proton, density, momentum), then the literature round. For a grade 6 speller, the grade 6 bee holds 49 more words.

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