One type of spelling bee is the Scripps National Spelling Bee , in Washington , D.C. The United States National Spelling Bee was started in 1925 by The Courier-Journal , the newspaper of Louisville , Kentucky . In 1941 , the Scripps Howard News Service acquired sponsorship of the program , and the name changed to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee ( later simply `` Scripps National Spelling Bee '' ) .