IF words like onomatopoeia or phlegm trip you up, spare a thought for three Rotorua students about to test their mettle against other word lovers.
Thirteen-year-olds Sehaj Singh , Valen Van Zyl and Chanelle Rogers are entered in tomorrow's New Zealand Vegemite Spelling Bee regional competition in Hamilton.
Words like onomatopoeia and phlegm are among a possible 765 they could be asked to spell.
Open to all New Zealand Year 9 students, the competition includes five regional finals with a national final later this month. The national winner will go to the United States to represent New Zealand at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington. The Rotorua students would love to fly the flag for New Zealand but will first have to get through tomorrow's regional spelling bee and are confident they're as prepared as they can be, thanks to some help from their parents.
While not sure what the secret to being a successful speller is exactly, they put their talent for words down to natural ability and say a good memory helps though.
Sehaj and Chanelle are from Rotorua Lakes High School.
Sehaj is confident of his spelling abilities and says knowing how to spell words helps him understand their meanings better. He can't wait for the competition and "being with lots of other good spellers" but admits there are a few words that sometimes stump him - like onomatopoeia. Sometimes he gets the i and the e mixed up.
Valen started practising for the competition just this week. She said being part of a big spelling competition had always been a dream and although she wasn't sure she could win, she couldn't wait, she said.
"I just enjoy spelling. It's just because I'm pretty good at it and I find it easy."
This is the first time since the competition was launched four years ago that there are entries from Rotorua.
Organiser Janet Lucas said she was thrilled the city would be represented and suspected having the regional heat in Hamilton, rather than Auckland as in previous years, was part of the drawcard. CAN YOU SPELL THESE? Sehaj and Valen's challengers:
Onomatopoeia
Phlegm
Coccyx
Acquiesce
Archipelago
