Why is the spelling contest called spelling bee? Do bees have anything to do with it?

The word bee, as used in spelling bee, is a language puzzle that has never been satisfactorily accounted for. A fairly old and widely-used word, it refers to a community social gathering at which friends and neighbors join together in a single activity (sewing, quilting, barn raising, etc.), usually to help one person or family. The earliest known example in print is a spinning bee, in 1769. Other early occurrences are husking bee (1816), apple bee (1827), and logging bee (1836). Spelling bee is apparently an American term. It first appeared in print in 1875, but it seems certain that the word was used orally for several years before that.





Those who used the word, including most early students of language, assumed that it was the same word as referred to the insect. They thought that this particular meaning had probably been inspired by the obvious similarity between these human gatherings and the industrious, social nature of a beehive. But in recent years scholars have rejected this explanation, suggesting instead that this bee is a completely different word. One possibility is that it comes from the Middle English word bene, which means ';a prayer'; or ';a favor'; (and is related to the more familiar word boon). In England, a dialectal form of this word, been or bean, referred to ';voluntary help given by neighbors toward the accomplishment of a particular task.'; (Webster's Third New International Dictionary). Bee may simply be a shortened form of been, but no one is entirely certain.Why is the spelling contest called spelling bee? Do bees have anything to do with it?
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Why is the spelling contest called spelling bee? Do bees have anything to do with it?
The earliest evidence of the phrase spelling bee in print dates back to 1825, although the contests had apparently been held before that year. (The etymology of the word ';bee'; in this sense is unclear. Historically, it has described a social congregation where a specific action is being carried out, like a husking bee, or an apple bee.)
Metaphorically, referring to the fact that bees function together socially:





';In allusion to the social character of the insect (originally in U.S.): A meeting of neighbours to unite their labours for the benefit of one of their number; e.g. as is done still in some parts, when the farmers unite to get in each other's harvests in succession; usually preceded by a word defining the purpose of the meeting, as apple-bee, husking-bee, quilting-bee, raising-bee, etc. Hence, with extended sense: A gathering or meeting for some object; esp. spelling-bee, a party assembled to compete in the spelling of words. lynching bee';
Yes, 'bee' was the first word in history to be misspelled. Someone spelled it 'B' trying to be cute in 1776.





In 1850 when they tried to correct their mistake, they tried, 'be'. But that was wrong.





A committee was formed in 1941 at the start of WWII and a competition was held. It was composed of all women, since the men had been drafted.





The female mastermind Bea Este Masters took home the prize of 50 jars of honey with her correct spelling of 'bee'. Hence, the 'Spelling Bea' was coined, named after her. And people have been misspelling the event ever since.