spelldown
Noun: A competitive event, typically for students, where participants are sequentially asked to spell words aloud. A contestant is eliminated immediately upon spelling a word incorrectly. The last remaining participant is declared the winner.
This noun refers specifically to the organized competition itself. It is often used in educational contexts, such as schools. * The school will host its annual spelldown next Friday. * She practiced for weeks to prepare for the state spelldown.
The term can be used metaphorically to describe any situation that involves a sequential test of skill or knowledge where a single mistake leads to elimination. * The intense job interview felt like a corporate spelldown, with candidates being cut after each round of questioning.
- Spelling bee (noun): A more common synonym for . While often used interchangeably, some distinguish a as having more complex rules or a wider scope than a .
- Spell-off (noun): Another less common synonym for a spelling competition.
- Spelling bee
- Spelling contest
- Spell-off
- To be in a spelldown: To be participating in or facing a situation of intense, elimination-based pressure.
- With these strict new performance reviews, it feels like we're all in a corporate spelldown.
- a contest in which you are eliminated if you fail to spell a word correctly