The term SPELLING CONTEST can be broken down into three words: BEE, SPELLING, and CONTEST. The first word, BEE, is a 3-letter word that refers to a gathering of people for a competitive activity. A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell words correctly. The second word, SPELLING, refers to the act of forming words with letters in an accepted manner. The third word, CONTEST, is a competition in which two or more people or teams compete against each other. In a spelling CONTEST, participants compete to see who can spell words correctly.