Betting on the Scripps National Spelling Bee can make the competition even more interesting, and we have various props for 2025. I explore the odds and share my betting predictions in this article.
Keep reading to find out what Spelling Bee prop bets are available and the best wagers for the competition in 2025!
Can You Bet on the Spelling Bee?
The best entertainment betting sites offer betting odds on the Spelling Bee each year, including the following markets:
- What state/region the winner will be from?
- Age of the winner
- Length of the winning word
- Will the winner have braces?
- Will the winner wear glasses?
Many sportsbooks allow you to bet on the Spelling Bee, but BetUS and BetOnline have the most prop bets and competitive odds, which is why we recommend them for the spelling competition.
National Spelling Bee 2025 Odds and Predictions Summary
The 2025 Spelling Bee is one of the weirder things to bet on, but wagering on this unique event can be a lot of fun. See the table below for my top wagers for this year’s event, with my analysis for each of them available underneath.
| Spelling Bee Bet | Prediction/Odds | Available At |
|---|---|---|
| State winner is from | Texas (+150) | BetOnline |
| Age of the winner | Over 12.5 years old | BetUS |
| Length of winning word | Over 9.5 letters (+110) | BetOnline |
| Winner to wear glasses | No (+110) | BetUS |
What State Will the Winner be From?
- Texas (+150)
- Florida (+250)
- California (+400)
- Kansas (+600)
- New Jersey (+600)
BetOnline offers odds on 15 states in this market, with Texas (+150) listed as the betting favorite. The Lone Star State is closely followed by Florida (+250) and California (+400). Kansas and New Jersey are tied at fourth with 6-1 odds each.
It's our 100th anniversary this year, but did you know the Bee is older than chocolate chip cookies! The delicious treats were invented in 1938 by Ruth Graves Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. #thebeeturns100 🐝💯 pic.twitter.com/6f0EPdOTQk
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) April 22, 2025
Sleeper options in this 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee betting market include Pennsylvania (+1000), Ohio (+1600), and Michigan (+2000). You can also bet on the winner being from outside of the US at 12-1 odds.
Here’s a breakdown of the number of Spelling Bee winners from each state since 2000.
State Number of Winners Texas 8 California 5 New Jersey 3 New York 3 Missouri, Indiana, Kansas, or Florida 2 Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alabama, Louisiana 1
The 2014, 2015, and 2016 Spelling Bees all had two winners. In 2019, the 92nd Scripps National Spelling Bee had eight co-winners. The last two winners, Bruhat Soma and Dev Shah, both hailed from Florida.
As the two most populous states, it is not surprising that Texas (8) and California (5) have had the most winners since 2000. Texas is a +150 favorite to produce the winner again this year.
Given its success over the last quarter-century, the odds for a contestant from the Lone Star State to claim victory again this year are quite high and one of the best bets on the board.
Age of the Winner
- Over 12.5 years old (-120)
- Under 12.5 years old (-120)
Another great 2025 Scripps Spelling Bee betting market offers you the opportunity to wager on the age of the winner. BetUS lists the age of the winner at over/under 12.5 years old. The over and under are listed at -120 odds each.
According to the Scripps’ Meet the Spellers section, the youngest contestant in this year’s Bee is nine years old. There are also four 10-year-olds, a dozen 11-year-olds, and two dozen 12-year-olds.
That means only 41 of the 245 contestants will make the under hit. The remaining 204 spellers are between the ages of 13 and 16, giving the over a massive numbers advantage.
Older spellers are also more experienced than their young counterparts. For instance, eight contestants in this year’s Bee have made it to the finals previously. All eight returning finalists are 13 years of age or older.
With numbers and experience on the over, my Spelling Bee prediction is for the winner to be over 12.5 at -120.
Length of the Winning Word
- Over 9.5 letters (+110)
- Under 9.5 letters (-150)
You can also wager on the length of the winning word for the 2025 Spelling Bee. BetOnline lists the over/under for the length of the winning word at 9.5 letters.
The under is a -150 favorite in this bet, giving an implied win probability of 60%.
Check out the list below for every winning word at the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2015.
- 2024 – Abseil
- 2023 – Psammophile
- 2022 – Moorhen
- 2021 – Murraya
- 2018 – Koinonia
- 2017 – Marocain
- 2016 – Feldenkrais and gesellschaft
- 2015 – Scherenschnitte and nunatak
There were eight co-winners in 2019, and their winning words were: auslaut, erysipelas, bougainvillea, aiguillette, pendeloque, palama, cernuous, odylic. The Bee was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Eight of the last 18 winning words, just under half, had 10 or more letters. However, only one of the previous four winning words had more than 9.5 letters. I think we are due for a longer winning word after short winning words in three of the last four years.
Winner to Wear Glasses
- Yes (-150)
- No (+110)
Rounding out my list of the best Spelling Bee betting markets is this bet for whether the winner will be wearing glasses. The “yes” option in this bet is listed at -150, while the “no glasses” bet is a +110 underdog.
CSISD spellers swept the Regional Spelling Bee!
🏆Aarav Sargurunathan (Wellborn MS) is the Regional Champion & will compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.
🥈 Shivani Shanmugam (College Hills ES) – Runner-Up
🥉 Shahir Jahangir (Forest Ridge ES) – 3rd Place pic.twitter.com/gESWKzcqmt— College Station ISD (@CSISD) April 3, 2025
Last year’s winner, Bruhat Soma, wore glasses. If you peruse a list of the other Scripps National Spelling Bee champions this century, you will see many other bespectacled winners.
Despite the odds, a quick look at this year’s contestants reveals that non-glasses wearers far outnumber their visually impaired counterparts. Also, two of the last four winners have not worn glasses. With that in mind, I recommend taking the “no” option in this Spelling Bee prop wager.
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