Champion speller needs to mind her zees and r’s

New Zealand champion speller Charlotte Roose spells out "rhythm", one of the English language’s more strangely constructed words. Picture / Amos Chapple

Painful as it has been, champion speller Charlotte Roose has been Americanising her English.

It's not by choice, but rather a necessary part of preparing to represent New Zealand at the 78th US Scripps Howard Spelling Bee contest in Washington DC.

The 12-year-old from Hillcrest High School, Hamilton, earned this honour when she won New Zealand's first-ever Spelling Bee in April, which was open to all Year 9 students.

"A lot of words are spelt differently there," Charlotte says. "And most people here say 'zed', so it'll be real hard trying to say 'zee' all the time."

But Charlotte is confident the judges will understand her accent and has stopped short of trying to roll her r's. Along with learning her "doughnuts" from her "donuts", Charlotte has been wading through hundreds of words over the past eight weeks, giving up karate and Girl Guides along the way.

"I'm nervous, and excited," she says of her upcoming trip. She leaves on Saturday with her father, Evan.

Her mother, Tracey, shares her daughter's apprehension. "Charlotte gets anxiety and has had panic attacks. She had one the night before the [New Zealand] final in Wellington and she came down with a severe headache. I just want her to be proud of what she's achieved and have a great time."

The US competition attracts nine million competitors and the final is broadcast live to a worldwide audience on ESPN.

The 271 competitors in the final include students representing several countries as well as all 50 US states. A single misspelled word means elimination.

The competition's already high profile was boosted by the 2002 Oscar-nominated documentary Spellbound, which followed the triumph and despair of eight teenagers through the 1999 US competition.

The Roose family sat down on Sunday night and watched Spellbound.

Mrs Roose said Charlotte was surprisingly calm as she watched it.

"I think I was in more of a worried state.

"It was an obsession for these kids [in Spellbound], entering the contest year after year and studying for nine hours a day on holidays and five hours a day on school days."

Charlotte has been studying for an hour on weekdays, two hours on weekends, Mrs Roose said. And often in the garden or outside with Mr Roose.

"I don't want that obsession. It's not for my baby. I just want her to go over there, have a wonderful time and come back in one piece."

Charlotte is also meeting up with 14-year-old Sam Lawson, a New Zealander who will represent Florida state at the US Spelling Bee.

The pair have been invited to a dinner with the New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, John Wood, as well as a night at the New Zealand Embassy.

The winner gets a cash prize of US$22,000 ($31,000), a US$5000 college scholarship, a set of Encyclopedia Britannica and an engraved cup.