11-year-old Akeelah Anderson has a way with words. After winning her schoolwide spelling bee, she decides to enter the competition, despite her classmates' derision and the antipathy of her mother Tanya. Thanks to the efforts of her teacher Dr. Larabee, she reaches the finala. As she gets to know her fellow competitors, Akeelah realizes that coming first isn't everything in life.
This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.
Sue Perkins hosts as the country's brightest spellers aged between nine and 13 compete in a series of word-related games and challenges, displaying a combination of speed, skill and brains to deconstruct words many have never even heard of, let alone spelled, before. Comedian Joe Lycett reports from backstage, where the youngster and their parents are making last-minute preparations, while newsreader Moira Stuart officiates as the show's pronouncer
