Bing and Microsoft Research are enlisting the help of researchers and students from around the world to take part in the Speller Challenge. We are all familiar with the experience of search engines providing results based on a common misspelling or typo:

This technique, called Spelling alteration, is the predominant way for search engines to translate typing errors, alternative spellings, and synonyms with the goal of providing the best results to you on the first try.

However, this approach is not perfect. My spelling error could be your perfect query. The Speller Challenge is looking for a better way to determine which results a search engine should provide and how alternatives should be represented.

The top five competitors will receive the following:

First place	US$10,000
Second place	US$8,000
Third place	US$6,000
Fourth place	US$4,000
Fifth place	US$2,000

To learn more about the challenge including details on participation please click here.

– The Bing Team