What it really takes to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Denver7 · May 27, 2026 · 336 words · By Stephanie Liebergen

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What to know about Youth Competition

The Scripps National Spelling Bee puts the country’s top young spellers in the spotlight, with kids as young as nine years old spelling words many adults can’t even pronounce.

Claims checked 4

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The Scripps National Spelling Bee puts the country’s top young spellers in the spotlight, with kids as young as nine years old spelling words many adults can’t even pronounce.

Why it matters

Hard work and discipline are definite requirements, but spelling coach Scott Remer says the best spellers also have a curiosity about language and a love of words.

Common ground

“The kids who are most successful are the ones who love to do dictionary diving and do searches and find new words, and, and whenever they find a really good one, there's like a thrill, there's a joy to that, and a passion for that,” said Remer.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Youth Competition story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Remer has worked with some recent Bee Champions, including 2023 winner Dev Shah?
How does this story connect Youth Competition with Academic Achievement over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.denver7.com/entertainment/scripps-spelling-bee/what-it-really-takes-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 1

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “Remer has worked with some recent Bee Champions, including 2023 winner Dev Shah”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly identifies Dev Shah as the winner of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Additionally, a web search result from KCRA mentions that when Dev Shah won in 2023, he and Faizan Zaki (another student of coach Scott Remer) posed for similar photos, corroborating the link between Shah and Remer.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee was a spelling bee competition that was held at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The 2023 bee welcomed 231 spellers from…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95th_Scripps_National_Spelling…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dev Shah may refer to: Dev Shah, main character played by Aziz Ansari on Master of None Dev Shah, winner of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dev_Shah

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The competitio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scripps_National_Spell…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Remer has worked with some recent Bee Champions, including... 2025 winner Faizan Zaki.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm Faizan Zaki won the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee (AP News, web search, and Wikipedia). The KCRA source explicitly links Faizan Zaki to coach Scott Remer.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 97th Scripps National Spelling Bee was a spelling bee competition held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The bee marked a special milestone with its …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/97th_Scripps_National_Spelling…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Faizan Zaki is an Indian-American spelling bee contestant known for winning the 97th Scripps National Spelling Bee which marked the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Faizan Zaki …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faizan_Zaki

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “The Scripps National Spelling Bee puts the country’s top young spellers in the spotlight, with kids as young as nine years old spelling words”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While evidence confirms the existence of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and its age limit (cannot be older than 14), none of the provided sources explicitly state that children as young as nine are allowed to participate.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Scripps National Spelling Bee, formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and often referred to as the National Spelling Bee or simply “the Spelling Bee” in the United States, is an annual …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripps_National_Spelling_Bee

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. To compete, contestants must memorize the spellings of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelling_bee

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “Corrie Loeffler, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is explicitly supported by a cross-reference from Denver7, but no other independent web or Wikipedia sources in the provided evidence confirm Corrie Loeffler's role as executive director.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 98th Scripps National Spelling Bee was a spelling bee competition being held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. out of a desire to bring the bee back to D.C. proper after being held at t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/98th_Scripps_National_Spelling…

+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.