Definition

Noun: A spelling competition in which contestants are eliminated when they misspell a word, and the last remaining contestant is declared the winner.

Usage Examples

• (A spelling contest where participants are eliminated one by one.)
• (She triumphed in the spelling competition by spelling a difficult word accurately.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be eliminated in a spell-down": to lose and be removed from the competition after making a spelling error.
  • He was eliminated in the third round of the spell-down after misspelling "rhythm". (He left the contest because he spelled a word incorrectly.)
• "to host a spell-down": to organize or conduct a spelling competition.
  • The library is hosting a spell-down for local students next Saturday. (The library is arranging a spelling contest for young participants.)

Variants and Related Words

• Spelling bee (n): a more common term for a spelling competition, often used interchangeably with "spell-down".
  • She practiced for hours before the spelling bee. (She prepared for the spelling competition extensively.)
• Speller (n): a person who spells words, especially in a contest.
  • He is an excellent speller and rarely makes mistakes. (He is skilled at spelling words correctly.)

Synonyms

• Spelling contest: a formal competition where participants spell words.
• Spelling competition: an event in which individuals compete to spell words correctly.

Related Idioms

• Spell it out: to explain something in detail or very clearly.
  • The rules were confusing, so the teacher had to spell it out for the students. (The teacher explained the rules meticulously.)