Spelling Bee 2018 live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch online

The National Spelling Bee has grown so much over the years that the 2018 edition has been expanded to three full days of coverage. The popular event begins on Tuesday at National Harbor, Maryland.

There are 519 students, from ages 8 to 15, who will compete in preliminary rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday in hopes of reaching Thursday’s final round.

The prizes for the winner, aside from pride and getting to show off on national television, include nearly $43,000 in prize money, and a replica Encyclopedia Britannica set from 1768. Nothing says excitement like vintage reference tomes.

Also if the winner plays their cards right, they just might get a trip to the NBA Finals out of it, just like 2017 Ananya Vinay, an avid Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry fan, did last year.

The first two days will be streamed online by ESPN3, with Wednesday’s final round split into two segments, televised during the day on ESPN2 and during prime time on ESPN. Oneline streaming is available through Watch ESPN and the ESPN app. Matt Barrie will host the competition, joined by analyst Paul Loeffler, a finalist at the Spelling Bee in 1990.

Finals
10 a.m.-2 p.m. (ESPN2)
8:30-10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Preliminary round
9:15 a.m.-12 p.m. (ESPN3)
1-5:20 p.m. (ESPN3)

Preliminary round
8 a.m.-12:35 p.m. (ESPN3)
2-5:30 p.m. (ESPN3)