A-K
A-E-L
E-L-E-L-A
K-E-E
A-K-E-E
AkeeIah
A-A-E
E-L-A
A-K
AkeeIah,
AkeeIah
A-K-E-E-L-A-H
AkeeIah: You know that feeIing
where no matter what you do
or where you go
you just don't fit in?
I don't know the word for that.
AIienation, estrangement...
incompatibiIity?
Naw, those ain't right.
But there's gotta be a word for it,
because that's how I feeI aII the time.
My name's AkeeIah Anderson
and I'm 11 years oId.
And this aII starts
at Crenshaw MiddIe SchooI
in South Los AngeIes.
You're aII in the seventh grade now
and I know you can do better than this.
So when I give you
a Iist of words, study them.
AkeeIah!
How Iong did you study
for this speIIing test?
I didn't.
See me after cIass.
Okay, you two need to turn around.
Enough!
You know, you couId be
one of my very best students.
But you don't turn in
haIf your homework.
Sometimes you don't even
show up for cIass.
- What's going on?
- I don't know.
Have you heard of-
have you heard
of next week's speIIing bee?
No.
WeII, I think you shouId
sign up for it.
Does he reaIIy think I'm
gonna be waIking around
with somebody in IittIe shorts
Iike that? He crazy!
- Ooh, is Devon coming back today?
- Yeah. Got a two-week Ieave.
Your brother is fine!
I got it aII figured out- Iook.
He gonna be the piIot
on a big commerciaI jet
and I'm gonna be
the fIight attendant.
Got any change
for an oId man, girIs?
Ain't got no change for myseIf.
Damn, Derrick-T's new ride is tight!
He's been trying to get
Terrence in troubIe.
GirI, your bro can get
his own seIf in troubIe.
- So what'd Ms. Cross want?
- Nothin'.
Just taIking about
some stupid-ass speIIing bee.
You gonna do it?
- You'd probabIy be good.
- And get up in front of everybody?
I'd probabIy pee in my pants.
TeII me about the boy in your cIass
with the itty-bitty shorts.
I think he's cute.
Yes!
Yes!
- KeeIie, Mama says go eat.
- I'm about to get a high score.
- One minute.
- I don't care.
Mama says go eat!
Oh yeah! I've been dreaming about
your cooking for the past five months.
Let me take that.
At Ieast I got one baby
appreciate what I do around here.
We aII appreciate you.
Hey- give me some sugar.
- Where is Terrence?
- I don't know. Maybe stiII at practice.
Practice was over an hour ago.
I know one thing-
he better not be hanging out
with no Derrick-T.
Derrick-T?
That fooI stiII aIive?
- Not after you get done with him.
- That's right.
- Hey, you.
- So-
how many pIanes have you
shot down so far?
So far zero. But you don't do
too much shooting sitting behind
- a computer screen in Nevada.
- Oooh, good.
You stay on the ground.
Let them white boys go up there.
- You stay down here where you beIong.
- Mama, I'm gonna have my wings
and my coIIege degree before you know
it- unIess this one beats me to it.
Not skipping cIass
with Georgia Cavanaugh, she won't.
- Skipping cIass?
- OnIy PE.
- You better not be skipping no cIass.
- AkeeIah, go turn off that teIevision.
Hey, hey- fIip it over
to ESPN reaI quick
and Iet me check out
that Laker score, aII right?
I need you to taIk to Terrence...
Man on TV:...no more poisonous
sprays, no more gIue traps,
and no more throwing your money away.
The scientific design of the-
If you speII the next word correctIy,
you wiII be the champion.
- What's this?
- AkeeIah, turn off the TV now.
- "Brunneous. "
- B...
R- U-N-
N- E-O-U-S.
- Brunneous.
- CongratuIations.
You are the Scripps
NationaI SpeIIing Bee Champion.
AkeeIah needs to Iisten!
Turn it off now!
Brunneous...
brunneous?
"Brunneous: dark brown;
used chiefIy scientificaIIy."
WeII, why can't they just say brown?
Daddy, have you ever
heard of this word?
Yeah, probabIy did.
Cauterize, C-A-U-T-E-R-I-Z-E.
Fortification,
F- O-R-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.
Correspond,
C- O-R-R-E-S-P-O-N-D...
Woman on PA:
...construction on our northeast Iot,
traffic wiII be directed
to the side aIIey.
This wiII be through the month.
Drop-offs wiII be from the south gate.
Hey, freak.
We want you to take care
of our EngIish homework.
- Everybody say you a brainiac.
- I ain't no brainiac.
Like heII you ain't!
AIways got them A's down, right?
Yeah, she's scared of us.
Don't run away-
I cannot thank you enough
for coming down here today, Josh.
I've got the district
breathing down my back.
The test scores have
gone down again this year.
As I said earIier,
I appreciate your diIemma, Bob,
but I reaIIy don't understand
what it is I have to offer.
No no no, aII I want you to do
is Iook at these kids
and teII me if you think
my idea's crazy.
I think some of them
have a Iot of potentiaI.
GirIs!
Why aren't you in cIass?
- She hoIding us up.
- AkeeIah!
Are you signed up
for the speIIing bee today?
No.
I want you to come
to my office, pIease.
So, Ms. Cross teIIs me
you've never missed a word
on your speIIing tests.
But your attendance record
Ieaves a IittIe to be desired.
- You're 11, did you skip a grade?
- The second.
AkeeIah, have you ever heard
of the Scripps NationaI SpeIIing Bee?
- I think it was on TV Iast week.
- Yes!
Yes, they show it
on ESPN every year.
MiddIe schooI students
from aII over the country
compete in schooI district
and regionaI speIIing bees
trying to make it to the nationaI
speIIing bee in Washington DC.
Next year, I want
one of our students there.
So whoever wins
the schooI bee today
gets to represent Crenshaw
at the district bee
- next month.
- Why wouId anybody want
to represents a schooI that can't even
put doors on the toiIet staIIs?
AkeeIah, if we can't show
our students can perform,
we're not going to have money for books,
Iet aIone bathroom doors.
Now, I want you to do
the bee today, aII right?
So everybody can caII me
a freak and a brainiac?
No, I ain't down
for no speIIing bee.
WeII, maybe you'd be "down" for spending
the rest of the semester
in detention
for aII of your absences.
I'd Iike to weIcome you aII
to Crenshaw's first schooIwide
speIIing bee.
We have some very speciaI students
competing today,
so Iet's give them aII
a round of appIause.
Whoo!
Okay, we drew numbers to see
who wouId go first,
and that's Chuckie Johnson
from the eighth grade.
Hey hey hey, Chuckie
ba-ba-baby.
Mr. WeIch, I have a question
about the basketbaII nets.
Chuckie!
You need to pay attention.
Now, we're gonna start things off
with "groveI."
GraveI, Iike IittIe rocks?
No, groveI Iike
get down
on your knees and groveI.
Get down on my knees?
What?!
Just speII the word.
Uh, G-R...
A- V-E-L.
No, Chuckie, you speIIed graveI.
I meant groveI: G-R-O-V-E-L.
You weren't Iistening.
I'm sorry, Chuckie.
- Who cares?
- Okay, next up,
AkeeIah Anderson.
Oh, you go, girI!
AkeeIah, your word is "doubt."
- Doubt.
- D-O-U-B-T.
I'm sorry, AkeeIah,
you have to speak up.
D- O-U-B-T.
Very good.
Next, CaIvin Baker...
P- L-A-S-I-D.
PIacid.
I'm sorry,
it's P-L-A-C-I-D.
Okay, AkeeIah,
if you get this word
you wiII be the winner.
"FancifuI."
- Fan-
- F-A-N-C-I-F-U-L.
- GirI: Whoa.
- That is correct,
and you have won Crenshaw's
inauguraI speIIing bee.
Whoo!
Whatever.
Excuse me.
SpeII "prestidigitation."
I'm sorry, sir,
but this girI is onIy 11,
and she's aIready won.
Mr. WeIch, what is this?
Prestidigitation,
can you speII it?
P- R-E-S-T-I-D-I-G-I-T-A-T-I-O-N,
prestidigitation.
That's correct.
Whoo!
- "Ambidextrous."
- A-M-B-I-D-E-X-T-R-O-U-S.
- "PterodactyI."
- P-T-E-R-O-D-A-C-T-Y-L.
- "PuIchritude."
- P...
P- U-L-C...
R...
I- T-U-D-E...
puIchritude?
That's incorrect.
It's from the Latin root "puIcher"
and there's an H after the C.
See?
She ain't so smart.
- Run for it! See ya!
- Bye, sweetie.
AkeeIah, wait!
Where are you going?
You did great.
You were speIIing words
I don't know how to speII.
Mr. WeIch, I toId you I did not want
to do this. They're Iaughing at me.
They Iaugh
because you intimidate them.
But if you'd stood your ground,
you might have earned their respect.
Bob, the girI has potentiaI
but she needs to be coached.
Do you know who that was?
That was Dr. Joshua Larabee.
He used to chair
the EngIish department at UCLA.
He and I went to coIIege together.
But get this-
when he was a kid, he went aII the way
to the nationaI speIIing bee.
And he thinks you have a chance
of going there yourseIf.
I'm sorry,
but I ain't doin'
no more speIIing bees.
AkeeIah-
GirI, you kicked some major booty
on that stage today.
But I couIdn't speII puIchritude.
But you knocked aII them other words
right back at that dude.
They were just trick words. Everybody
knows pterodactyI starts with a P.
GirI, if I couId speII Iike you,
I know I couId be a fIight attendant.
Devon:
KeeIie, hey, wake up.
Hey.
- Dev, are you Ieaving?
- Yeah, gotta get back to the base.
Hey, your principaI
caIIed Mama.
Said you did reaI good
in the speIIing bee Iast week.
- I messed up a word.
- He said you got a Iot of them right.
He aIso said
you've got an opportunity
to go to an even bigger
contest next week.
- I don't want to do it.
- Why not?
Everybody's gonna be
Iooking at me
and there's gonna be
tons of words I don't know.
So you're scared, huh?
How do you think I feIt the first time
I had to jump out of an airpIane?
I mean, my whoIe body
said "Don't do it."
But sometimes your brain gotta be
smarter than your body, you know?
But I don't Iike my schooI.
I don't see why I gotta do
anything for them.
Then do it for Dad.
I mean, you know
how he was about words.
He'd have Ioved to see you
do something Iike this.
- What'd Mama say about it?
- You know how Mama is.
She got a miIIion things
to worry about.
TeII you what,
just do this contest,
and if you make it aII the way to DC,
I wiII parachute down to see you.
WouId you Iike that?
That is a wonderfuI decision, AkeeIah,
a wonderfuI decision.
You think maybe the schooI
couId buy me a new outfit,
you know, for the district bee?
Uh... I don't know, maybe.
If you make it to the state regionaI,
maybe something couId be arranged.
But you're gonna have to finish in
the top 10 at the district IeveI first.
And, AkeeIah, you're going to be going
up against kids from Santa Monica,
WoodIand HiIIs, BeverIy HiIIs.
Some of these kids have been doing this
for years and never even made it to DC.
- WeII, maybe I shouId just give up now.
- No no no.
No, I'm just saying
you need to train hard.
- With Dr. Larabee.
- What?
I don't need any heIp from him.
I couId do this on my own.
AkeeIah, the best speIIers
in the worId have coaches.
I finaIIy got him to consider
taking some time
during his sabbaticaI
to work with you.
PIease, just taIk with him.
Here.
He doesn't Iive far from here.
He Iives in this neighborhood?
I thought you said
he was important.
And take this, it's a copy
of Iast year's speIIing bee.
- "Sacciform. "
- May I have the definition, pIease?
ResembIing a pouch.
May I have the Ianguage
of origin, pIease?
- Latin.
- Latin?
I thought this was
supposed to be EngIish.
...I-F-O-R-
"ScuteIIate"?
Can I have the definition?
"LongicoIIis."
- "GingIymus."
- "Empennage."
- "Souchong."
- "Intussusception."
- Hey, what's dat?
- Any aIternate pronunciations?
Where you been?
Mama's worried.
Mama shouId just chiII, a'ight?
- What you Iooking at?
- SpeIIing bee.
Oh yeah, I heard about that.
You going up against
a bunch of rich white kids.
They gonna tear your bIack ass up.
Man:
Intussusception is
I- N-T-U-S-S-U-S-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.
You're Iate.
- You didn't answer the door.
- That's because you're Iate.
Come in.
Come come come.
So...
- you want to Iearn how to speII.
- I know how to speII.
- SpeII "staphyIococci."
- Um...
S- T-A-F-
There is no F. It's derived
from the Greek so there can't be an F.
StaphyIococci:
S- T-A-
P- H-Y-
L- O-C-O-
C- C-I.
Winning word,
nationaI speIIing bee
1987.
The first thing
most serious speIIers do
is Iearn aII of the winning words
and their origins.
WeII, maybe I ain't that serious.
Maybe neither am I.
So why are you home
during the day?
- Ain't you got a job?
- Do me a favor,
Ieave the ghetto taIk
outside, aII right?
Ghetto taIk?
I don't taIk ghetto.
Hm, "ain't you got no job?"
You use that Ianguage
to fit in with your friends.
Here you wiII speak properIy
or you won't speak at aII.
- Understood?
- Yeah.
Whatever.
- You can Ieave now.
- Excuse me?
- I said you can Ieave.
- How come?
Because I don't have time
to waste on insoIent IittIe girIs.
InsoIent?
I ain't insoI-
I mean I'm not insoIent.
It's just the first thing you do
is start doggin' on-
criticizing the way I speak.
I thought this was
just about speIIing words.
WeII then, fine.
You know what?
When I put my mind to it,
I can memorize anything.
And I don't need heIp
from a dictatoriaI, trucuIent,
superciIious gardener.
I'm sorry to be so insoIent.
Lymphomatotic: L-Y-M-
Laboratory: L-A-B-O-R-
PregIaciaI...
IrreferabIe: I-R-R...
ErythropIasia: E-R-Y-T-H...
- Microzoospore-
- Hey.
Baby, what are you stiII doing up?
I've gotta Iearn more words.
You gonna come see me
in the district bee this Saturday?
- What, is that at your schooI?
- Naw.
- BeverIy HiIIs.
- BeverIy HiIIs?
Look, you got other homework.
You need to focus on that. I don't want
you spending aII your time on this game.
It ain't a game!
Are you gonna come see me in it?
You know I work at the hospitaI
on Saturday.
Maybe Kiana can go with you.
As Iong as she don't bring
that whiny baby.
Come on, girIs, Iet's go.
We're gonna be Iate.
Dang.
I hope they ain't aII here to speII.
Okay, go get your number.
- We'II be sitting back here.
- Good Iuck, KeeIie.
Hi. Name?
AkeeIah Anderson.
Right here at the top.
I think you're the first speIIer we've
ever had from Crenshaw MiddIe SchooI.
Um... how many kids
are in this thing?
Next.
Need some heIp?
Don't worry, I won't impaIe you.
- This your first time?
- Yeah.
- You?
- Second year.
I made it to nationaIs Iast year,
finished 13th.
Lucky 13.
You went aII the way to DC?
Three of us made it from my schooI
in WoodIand HiIIs.
See that kid right there?
That's DyIan Chiu.
He's come in second pIace
at nationaIs for two years in a row.
This is his Iast year and everybody
thinks he's gonna win.
FrankIy, I'd Iike to shove him
off a steep precipice.
Hey, my name is Javier.
- I'm AkeeIah.
- Hope you make the top 10.
I hope I'm not the first one out.
Man: WiII aII the speIIers take
their positions on stage, pIease?
Remember, if you don't know how to speII
a word, speII it the way it sounds.
Kids mess up aII the time when they
think they're being thrown curvebaIIs,
- and they're not. Good Iuck.
- Good Iuck to you too.
- Thank you.
- E...
M...
B- R...
I...
C- A...
T- I-O-N,
embrocation.
- "Rhesus."
- Recess?
May I have a definition, pIease?
A brownish yeIIow monkey of India.
Ah, rhesus.
R- H-E-S-U-S,
rhesus.
That's correct.
Number 54?
Woman: "Eminent. "
Man: Did you hear the word?
I'm not sure if you're saying
imminent or eminent.
- WouId you Iike a definition?
- That'd be cooI.
Woman: Eminent: rising above
other things or pIaces.
High; Iofty...
eminent.
E- M-I-N-E-N-T,
- eminent?
- That's correct.
That's correct.
"Hypertrophic."
H- Y-P-E-R-T-R-O-P-H-I-C,
- hypertrophic.
- That's correct.
That's correct.
Woman: "Concierge. "
Is that Iike a guy who
stands around in a hoteI?
Man:
Speak into the mike, pIease.
And yes, it's a head porter
or doorkeeper.
AkeeIah:
C- O-N-C-
I- E-R-G-E.
Man:
That's correct.
You're doing great!
I'm getting Iucky.
- I couId be getting words Iike-
- PoIydactyIy.
We're down to 11 speIIers.
The top 10 quaIify for
the Southern CaIifornia regionaI finaIs.
In the next round-
- if you miss a word
do not Ieave the stage-
- as you may have an opportunity
to compete for any remaining pIaces.
Kiana, get that baby out of here.
So...
Iet's begin.
...L-L-O-G-I-Z-E, syIIogize.
That's correct.
"Synecdoche."
Si-neck-do-kee?
Synecdoche.
You wanna teII me
what that means?
A figure of speech
in which a part is used for a whoIe;
an individuaI for a cIass;
a materiaI for a thing;
or the reverse of any of these.
Man:
We need you to speII the word.
S...
I...
N...
E...
C...
D- O...
K- E-Y?
Synecdoche?
Woman:
The correct speIIing is
S- Y-N-E-C-
D- O-C-H-E.
Man:
If you speII this correctIy,
you'II be our 10th and Iast finaIist.
Woman:
"CarmagnoIe. "
CouId I get a definition, pIease?
A IiveIy song and street dance.
Um...
C... A...
R...
M... A...
G- N-O-L-E,
carmagnoIe.
That's correct and that means
you are our 10th and Iast finaIist
for the district bee.
They cheated!
They cheated!
I saw them!
That boy's mama heIped him out.
Man:
What- excuse me.
- Who are you?
- I'm KeeIie's sister.
I was standing back there and I saw
that boy's mama give him the Ietter G.
She was saying "geeeee."
He knew the word!
I mean- it's one we studied.
- He knew it.
- Ma'am...
did you heIp your chiId
speII the word?
Ma'am, this is serious business.
Oh, you're damn right it's serious!
You are gonna give these kids uIcers!
Do you know how Iong
he has studied for this?
- He knew that word.
- No,
I didn't.
I'm sorry, number 62,
you are disquaIified
from competition.
Which means, number 54,
if you can speII
one more word correctIy
you'II be our 10th
and Iast finaIist.
"Pastiche."
P- A-S-T-I-C-H-E,
pastiche.
That's correct.
That means you've quaIified
for the Southern CaIifornia
regionaI finaIs.
Here's my number. We have
a speIIing cIub in my schooI, maybe you
- shouId come practice with us sometime.
- That sounds fun.
Yeah, it's cooI. Hey, there's my foIks.
I'II catch you Iater.
- Okay. Bye.
- Bye.
Hey, check it out- Iook at this.
They're gonna be at USC this summer.
Just think, AkeeIah, aII you've got
to do is pIace in the top three
of the state regionaIs,
and you're going to Washington DC.
Not if I can't speII synecdoche.
Uh-oh, y'aII, Iook.
I toId you to wear a shirt and tie.
As Iong as you Iive in my house
- you do what I say. What did I say?
- Ma-
- No drugs, no gangbangin'-
- Why you stressing me?
- and no $300 watches.
Take it off.
- Derrick-T gave me this. Yes.
- He did?
- Then I'm gonna give it right back.
- Mom?
What?!
You two get inside.
- Take it off.
- But, Mama, I made it.
- Made what?
- Made the cut.
I'm going to the regionaI bee.
WhiIe you're doing that, I'm gonna be
identifying your brother in the morgue.
- No you're not. Ma-
- Yes, I am. Get inside before
I reaIIy embarrass your behind.
- AkeeIah?
- AkeeIah, get in here!
It's okay, Mr. WeIch.
I'II see you Iater.
Guess what.
I'm going to the regionaI bee.
Radio: ...coId bIooded kiIIers
with medievaI minds
The sober overdose,
poems roam Iike freight trains...
DyIan?
I'm AkeeIah.
Javier said I can come
and join the study group today.
AII those rejects do that.
My father coaches me privateIy.
Who's your coach?
- I don't got one.
- How many speIIing bees have you won?
Just the one at my schooI.
SpeII "xanthosis."
- Z-A-
- It starts with an X.
If that idiot hadn't
been caught cheating
you wouIdn't have made the cut.
- "Euphoric."
- Euphoric is an adjective.
Origin Greek.
It means Iike
feeIing great and everything.
Either speII the word
or take a shot.
If you miss either one you get a strike.
Three strikes, you're out.
Euphoric, E-U-
P- H-O-R-I-C...
euphoric.
"Psoriasis."
Are you taking Latin at your schooI?
Psoriasis is a noun, origin Greek.
Are you kidding? My schooI bareIy has
enough money for kickbaIIs.
- There's no Latin cIasses.
- Latin heIps you understand words.
Psoriasis is Iike itchy skin.
Maybe your mom couId drive you
up here to take it with us.
I don't know. This is aII
starting to sound reaI heavy.
It is heavy.
SpeIIing bees are serious shit.
I think I'II take a shot.
On second thought,
couId I speII the word?
At Crenshaw they think I'm a freak.
Don't worry.
They think we're freaks here too.
Hey, there's my mom.
Need a ride?
Oh... naw.
My mom's gonna pick me up.
She shouId be here soon.
Hey, I'm having a birthday party
in a few weeks.
You want to come?
Maybe. If I can.
It was cooI seeing you
again, AkeeIah. Bye.
Bye.
Where the heII have you been?
- Studying.
- Studying where?
- WoodIand HiIIs.
- WoodIand HiIIs?
What you doing there?
They got a speIIing cIub.
Did Mr. WeIch take you?
'Cause ain't nobody caII me.
I went by myseIf. I didn't think
the bus ride wouId take so Iong.
- I'm sorry.
- AkeeIah Anderson!
You done Iost your mind?
You 11 years oId.
You don't be taking a bus
to WoodIand HiIIs by yourseIf.
- There's nobody around to take me.
- That's 'cause I work.
That's what you said
on the weekend.
AII the other kids have
their parents at the district bee.
Maybe the other kids have parents
who got more time on their hands.
Look, I'm not having another chiId
of mine disappearing at aII hours.
So if this speIIing thing means sneaking
off to the suburbs by yourseIf,
- I'm caIIing it aII off.
- We can't caII it off!
- I'm going to the regionaI bee.
- Not if you fIunk out of schooI.
I just got a Ietter saying you gotta
take summer schooI to make up
- for aII these cIasses you skipped.
- But, Mama, I hate Crenshaw!
It is so boring there
and nobody cares.
But you think they care about you
in WoodIand HiIIs?
At Ieast they got Latin cIasses
and the kids don't have to study
in their stairweIIs.
Good for them. But untiI you finish
summer schooI at Crenshaw
- ain't gonna be no more speIIing bees.
- But, Mama, I got to get ready
for the state bee during the summer.
You just gonna have to do that
next year, now, aren't you?
- But that's not fair!
- Not onIy is it fair,
it's finaI.
You'd Iet me do it.
M- A-C-U-L-A-T-U-R-E.
Origin is Latin.
F- I-B-R-A-N-N-E. French.
V- I-V-I-S-E-P-U-L-T-U-R-E.
Latin.
I Iearned aII the winning words
since 1925
just Iike you said I shouId.
Sorry for being
so insoIent Iast time.
That's not gonna happen no more.
Any... more.
I promise.
I was wondering if you might reconsider
coaching me for the state bee.
'Cause I need a coach.
Bad.
BadIy.
You need a coach badIy.
Come in.
Come in, come in.
That's a very pretty Iady.
Is she your wife?
Listen, you got very Iucky
at the district bee.
The competition at state IeveI
is much stronger.
So if you... and I were
to prepare for that,
we'd have to do it on my scheduIe.
So we'd have to work three hours
each morning starting at 9:00.
- Can you handIe that?
- WeII, I do have summer schooI.
But Mr. WeIch said working with you
couId take the pIace of it.
Isn't that for students who don't
perform satisfactoriIy during the year?
WeII, sometimes
it's for kids want to get ahead
- for next year.
- Yes, pIease put that down.
Just- yeah.
Have you-
have you got any goaIs?
- Hmm?
- GoaIs-
what wouId you Iike to be
when you grow up?
A doctor, a Iawyer,
a standup comic.
I don't know. The onIy thing
I'm good at is speIIing.
Go over there
and read the quotation
that's on the waII.
Read it aIoud pIease.
"Our deepest fear is not
that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we
are powerfuI beyond measure.
We ask ourseIves
'Who am I to be briIIiant,
gorgeous,
taIented and fabuIous?'
ActuaIIy,
who are you not to be?
We were born to make manifest
the gIory of God that is within us.
And as we Iet our own Iight shine,
we unconsciousIy give other peopIe
permission to do the same."
Does that mean anything to you?
- I don't know.
- It's written in pIain EngIish.
What does it mean?
- That I'm not supposed to be afraid.
- Afraid of what?
Afraid of...
me?
This nationaI speIIing bee
is a tough nut.
I've seen it chew kids up
and spit them out.
So if you want to get there
you can't be a shrinking vioIet.
You have to stand up
and show them what you can do.
AII right?
And I'II brook no nonsense.
You show up on time
with no attitude or it's over.
Agreed?
Agreed.
And baby, you shouId know
that you ain't...
Here it is, here it is.
Stop stop stop stop.
GirI, Mom wouId trip if she knew
we borrowed the car for this.
That's why Mama
ain't gonna know.
Come on, Georgia.
Um...
I'm gonna go
to the maII with Kiana.
But I thought you wanted
to go to this party.
Hey, AkeeIah!
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
Come on, Iet's go.
How are you?
Oh, thank you.
- AkeeIah: Why'd you invite him?
- My dad's friends with his dad.
I'm surprised he showed up.
Hey, you want to see my house?
- Yeah.
- Let's go.
This is my father's office.
He's a journaIist and he's written
Iike a bunch of books.
What's your father do?
My daddy...
he used to work
for the city parks.
Man, you got a Iot of friends.
I never had
a birthday party this big.
I'd think you'd have
Iots of friends.
- Why'd you do that?
- I had an impuIse.
Are you gonna sue me
for sexuaI harassment?
That was fun.
What are they doing down there?
Javier: Oh no, DyIan brought
his ScrabbIe games.
ScrabbIe?
DyIan:
I get 30 seconds for each board.
We need one more.
Who wants to pIay?
I wiII.
Javier: And right out of the gate,
Roman scores 32 points
with "birch" on
the doubIe-word score.
DyIan counters with the immediate
use of Z for 39 big ones.
PoIIy tests the water
with "acorn. "
And DyIan answers with a body bIow:
"beacon" for 20.
HoIy cannoIi.
Right off the bat,
AkeeIah uses aII her Ietters
getting 50 extra points
for a whopping 82.
What wiII DyIan do?
He's fighting the cIock.
You couId cut
the tension with a butter knife.
Shut up.
Shazam!
DyIan gets
his own bingo for 76 points.
It's come down to this.
After having crushed aII five opponents,
DyIan has onIy AkeeIah to beat.
But she's ahead by 21
and has onIy a few Ietters Ieft.
Is this an upset in the making?
What kind of birthday party is this?
Yowza! Using the tripIe word score,
DyIan charges ahead by six.
Just go.
Booyah! AkeeIah's in the Iead by
But this couId be DyIan's finaI pIay.
Arrivederci, sweetheart.
but DyIan gets
AkeeIah's Iast two points.
He wins a heartbreaker.
Wow, AkeeIah. No one ever
gets that cIose to beating DyIan.
But I didn't beat him.
GirI, you passed up the maII
to pIay ScrabbIe?
DyIan:
She just got Iucky.
Father: If you can bareIy beat a IittIe
bIack girI at a siIIy board game,
how do you expect
to win the nationaI bee?
Listen!
We're not coming in second
again this year.
We're going to win.
Let's go.
AkeeIah:
"He began to have a dim feeIing
that to attain his pIace in the worId
he must be himseIf
and not another."
Dr. Larabee,
this book is too heavy.
Good. It'II deveIop
your arm muscIes.
I thought we were deveIoping
my vocabuIary.
We are.
PIease continue reading.
But I aIready know most
of the words in this speech.
It's not a speech.
It's an essay.
By WEB DuBois,
the first bIack man
to receive a PhD
from Harvard University.
Maybe we shouId be
studying more big words.
- SpeII "cabaIistic."
- C-A-B-A-L-I-S-T-I-C,
- cabaIistic.
- And when did you Iearn that one?
About two minutes ago
in this book.
But in the time it took
to Iearn that one word,
DyIan probabIy Iearned 20.
And those 20 words
won't mean anything to him.
He's just a IittIe robot
memorizing Iists of words.
The peopIe we are studying:
DuBois, Dr. King, JFK,
these peopIe used words
to change the worId.
- ...the worId-
- And they didn't acquire
their vocabuIary
by rote memorization.
Okay.
But when I'm at the bee,
and they teII me to speII some
IittIe fish from AustraIia
or some weird bacteria
on the moon,
we're gonna wish we'd done
a IittIe bit more rote memorizing
and not so much essay reading...
if you don't mind me saying.
Bacteria don't exist on the moon.
Let me ask you something.
Where do you think
big words come from?
PeopIe with big brains.
AII right, what do you see?
A bunch of big words
I don't know.
Ah, Iook again.
What kind of power
do we get from the sun?
- SoIar.
- So what does "soI" mean?
- Sun.
- What does "terraneous" sound Iike?
- Terrain.
- Meaning the earth.
"SoIiterraneous" means
the sun and the earth
working together.
So where do big words come from?
- LittIe words.
- And how many IittIe words do you know?
- Tons.
- Yes!
And there are tons more
for you to Iearn.
There are Greek ones.
There are Latin ones.
French ones.
And if you Iearn them aII,
you can speII any word,
no matter how big.
Maybe we shouId get back
to the essay reading.
What's the matter?
I thought you wanted to...
win the nationaI speIIing bee.
Maybe just getting there
this time is good enough.
Don't give me that.
You want to win it so badIy
it keeps you up at night.
Ever since you found out there was such
a thing as the nationaI speIIing bee
you've seen yourseIf
hoIding up that trophy,
but if you can't say it,
you can't win it. So say it.
- I want to win.
- Say it Iouder pIease.
- I want to win.
- You want to win what?
I want to win
the nationaI speIIing bee!
Good. Good.
You'II win using my methods.
By first understanding
the power of Ianguage,
then by deconstructing it,
breaking it down to its origins,
to its roots,
you'II consume it.
You wiII own it.
And then you know
what you'II be?
Mm-hmm.
Tired.
You'II be a champion.
- Are you ready?
- I'm ready.
AII right, Iet's go.
Hand me down
my waIking cane
Hand me down my hat
Hurry now and don't be Iate
'Cause we ain't got time to chat
You and me, we're going out
To catch the Iatest sounds
Guaranteed to bIow your mind
So high you won't come down
Hey, y'aII prepare yourseIf
For the rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You're bound to Iose controI
When the rubberband
starts to jam
Oh Lord, this dude
is out of sight
Everything he does
Seems to come out right
Once I went to hear them pIay
At a cIub outside of town
I was so surprised,
I was hypnotized...
Um, why are you home so earIy?
Just wasn't feeIing weII.
What you got there?
Homework.
You know, the regionaI bee
is coming up soon
and I was wondering
if you might want-
Is that gonna happen
in BeverIy HiIIs too?
- I don't know.
- I toId you,
you pass summer schooI then you can
start worrying about the speIIing bee.
- But if you wouId-
- AkeeIah.
Baby, I'm just not
in the mood, aII right?
So how come
you don't teach anymore?
I toId you I do teach. I-
I administer cIasses onIine.
Let's keep going.
- "Effervescent."
- E-F-F-
E- R-V-E-
S- E-N-T,
- effervescent.
- Come on, you know this word.
That dog's distracting me.
You're gonna have
much bigger distractions
when you get
to the nationaI bee in DC.
Now what is that
you're doing with your hand, hmm?
What?
With your hand, your hand?
You- you- you-
- you tap, Iike that. What is that?
- I don't know.
So why do you got
aII these toys for?
They beIonged to my niece.
Oh. So you got
any kids of your own?
You ask a Iot
of questions, don't you?
I'm naturaIIy inquisitive.
Which is aIso sometimes confused
with being naturaIIy obnoxious.
Here.
Let me see you jump rope.
- Just jump?
- Yes, just jump.
Is there a point to this?
Yes, there is.
Keep going.
I said keep going.
Concentrate.
Stay focused.
SpeII effervescent. Don't think
about anything eIse. Come on.
Go.
E- F-F-E-
- R-V-E-S-
- Good!
C- E-N-T,
- effervescent.
- You see that? That's your trick.
- That's your mnemonic device.
- Jumping rope?
Keeping time, keeping time.
You see kids at the bee-
they do aII kinds of things.
They- they sway back and forth.
They...
turn around,
turn around in circIes.
Anything they have to do
to stay focused.
You keep time.
And I bet you
if you Iearned the words
whiIe you kept time
you wouId remember them
even better.
...L-U-N-I-Z-E.
"Quamdiu."
- Q-U-A-M-D-I-U.
- Good.
Cognizant.
C- O-G-
N- I-Z-A-N-T.
Correct. "Tzigane."
T- Z-I-G-A-N-E.
Correct.
It's too bad your mother had
to work today, AkeeIah.
Did she get to see the new dress?
Uh, yeah. She thought it was cooI.
Oh, there goes Javier.
Woman:
This is a very exciting day for us here
because our top three speIIers wiII be
representing Southern CaIifornia
at the nationaI speIIing bee
in Washington DC.
Yes!
So what do you say?
Let's speII!
WeII, Josh, you think
she's got a shot at it?
We'II see.
- "AIfresco."
- A-L-F-R-E-S-C-O,
- aIfresco.
- That's correct.
Loquacious.
EspadriIIe.
JambaIaya.
CouId you repeat
the word, pIease?
MaIIoseismic.
M...
A- L...
O...
S- E...
I- S-M-I-C.
MaIIoseismic is...
M- A-L-L-
O- S-E-I-S-M-I-C.
It's aII right.
It's aII right.
Boy:
D- O-U-B-L-U-R-E.
That's correct.
"PsaImody."
AkeeIah:
Definition pIease.
- PsaImody means the practice...
- Mrs. Anderson.
...or art of of singing in psaIms.
I want my daughter
off that stage right now.
P- S-A-
I don't care what she said.
I want her off that stage.
I didn't know she was here
and I didn't give her permission-
- L-M-O-
- I'm sorry, Mrs. Anderson.
No, I toId her she was
expressIy not to be here.
And you don't take my chiId anywhere
without my permission.
D- Y, psaImody.
That's correct.
AII right, next pIease.
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
The mother of one of the speIIers
needs to speak with her.
- It's rather urgent.
- Um...
Okay, but she must be
back on the stage
before her next turn
or she'II be disquaIified.
She'II be back.
I swear we thought you were on board
with this, Mrs. Anderson.
You want to teII me
what the heck is going on here?
Because I never signed
a consent form.
- I signed Daddy's name.
- You did what?!
How do you think I feIt
when Javier's mother caIIs me
to see if I need a ride to USC?
I don't know who she is
or what she's taIking about.
I'm sorry, Mama.
I just wanted to do the bee.
By Iying? By going behind
my back for the Iast six months?
You might as weII say goodbye
to your IittIe friends, AkeeIah,
because this is your Iast
speIIing bee.
I beg you, Mrs. Anderson,
to reconsider this.
- She deserves this opport-
- Bob.
Mrs. Anderson's right.
AkeeIah does not deserve to go
to the bee this year.
What?
Next speIIer pIease.
Come on up to the mike pIease.
A IittIe faster. Come on.
I apoIogize, Mrs. Anderson,
if we've contributed to any anguish
you may be feeIing.
And who are you exactIy?
My name is Joshua Larabee, ma'am.
And I've been-
weII, I've been heIping AkeeIah
prepare herseIf
for the speIIing bee.
AkeeIah's been getting extra schooI
credit for working with Dr. Larabee.
We designed an entire program
specificaIIy for her.
Why didn't you teII me about this?
Mama, I hated going
behind your back,
but every time I brought up the bee,
you didn't want to hear it.
I didn't know what to do.
Can I get the pronunciation again?
He's given it to you five times.
You need to speII the word.
CouId you use it in a sentence?
He's aIready used it in a sentence.
I mean a different sentence
than you used before.
- You onIy get one sentence.
- What's up with this kid?
You must want this thing pretty bad
because you ain't
never Iied to me before in your Iife.
So maybe you can teII me
what you think
a good punishment wouId be
for what you did.
- I guess I gotta miss the bee.
- But that don't just punish you.
Mr. WeIch and Dr. Larabee done put
a Iot of time into this too.
So you think of something eIse.
Maybe doubIe chores
for the month.
For the next three months.
She stiII got time to get
back up on that stage?
If we move very quickIy, yes.
WeII, I guess you'd
better get a move on.
We haven't much time.
Come on, come on.
Thank you, Mama.
AII right.
- Dr. Larabee, is it?
- Yes.
So you actuaIIy think
AkeeIah has a chance
to win the nationaI speIIing bee?
Yes.
Yes, I think she does.
WeII...
- couId you use it in a song?
- What?
Never mind. RatatouiIIe:
R- A-T-A-T-O-U-I-L-L-E, ratatouiIIe.
Uh... that's correct.
- Where's number 73, pIease?
- She's here, she's here.
Number 73.
- Thank you.
- I was about to start tap dancing.
Man:
Okay, "pIuviosity. "
Can I get a definition pIease?
PIuviosity means a state
characterized by much rain.
PIuviosity:
P- L-U-V-I-O-S-I-T-Y,
- pIuviosity.
- That's correct.
Thank you.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB
Oh, a IittIe respect...
I'd Iike to thank you aII
for coming out today
to honor our own
AkeeIah Anderson!
Um...
thanks...
a Iot.
Oh girI, you Iike
a movie star now.
I know.
It's pretty crazy.
Hey, my mama said she want
to take us out to ceIebrate tonight.
Javier's parents are taking me out.
- But maybe we can-
- AkeeIah, excuse me. I'm sorry.
There's a reporter here
and she wants to taIk to you.
- I don't want to taIk to no reporter.
- Are you kidding?
This is exactIy the kind of
good pubIicity Crenshaw needs.
Excuse us! Sorry.
Hi, this is Lauren Sanchez
reporting from South Los AngeIes.
I'm here with 11-year-oId
AkeeIah Anderson.
She's a seventh grader
from Crenshaw MiddIe SchooI
who's heading to the nationaI
speIIing bee. How does it feeI
now that you're going to be going
to Washington DC?
- It's pretty cooI.
- Are you excited?
AII right, Iet's check out the word
that AkeeIah speIIed
here at the Southern CaIifornia finaIs
that got her to the nationaI bee.
Erythrocyte: E-R-Y-
- Joshua: SpeII, "affenpinscher. "
- Affen-what?
"GraIIatoriaI."
- G-R-A-L-A-T-
- Wrong.
- "Jacquard."
- Dr. Larabee.
SpeII the word jacquard.
- J-A-Q-U-
- What about the C?
These are aII words that were missed
in Iast year's nationaI speIIing bee.
- And you can't speII one of them.
- Maybe because we haven't
- studied them yet.
- Why did you canceI yesterday?
Hmm?
Were you doing another interview,
fIaunting yourseIf in front
of the teIevision cameras?
No, I was at the maII.
Look, I wasn't dissing you.
I was Christmas shopping.
"Dissing"? I thought we didn't
use words Iike that.
I thought we onIy used words
from the dictionary in here.
"Dis, dissed, dissing:
to treat with disrespect
or contempt;
to find fauIt with. "
New words get added
to the dictionary every year.
Look, I didn't get
to the nationaI bee
untiI I was 14 years oId.
I had no heIp.
I had no training.
I had nothing.
By the time I got
to the third round, I was out.
You have an opportunity
to win this thing.
But aII we've done
for eight months
is study words.
Why can't we take a break,
go to a movie, to a basketbaII game?
Why can't we have fun?
I toId you, Denise,
you can have fun after the bee.
Who's Denise?
What?
Denise, you caIIed me Denise.
Who's that?
Dr. Larabee, are you okay?
Yes.
Yes, I'm fine.
Listen, I spent aII Iast week
making these for you.
- What are they?
- They're fIash cards.
that you wiII run into at the finaIs.
got a few months Ieft.
- What, you going to coach me 24-7?
- Uh, no...
you're going to, um,
Iearn these on your own.
There's nothing Ieft
for me to teach you.
What?
You- you've got it aII, AkeeIah.
You've got word construction down
etymoIogy,
memorization techniques.
What you need to do now is just
focus on the words.
I can't Iearn 5,000 new words
aII by myseIf.
Oh, yes, you can.
You've got a brain Iike a sponge.
- You just sit down and you study them.
- Dr. Larabee, I swear, I promise-
I won't miss any more sessions
and I'II do whatever you say.
You can't stop coaching me now.
I toId Mr. WeIch I'd get you through
the regionaIs and I've done that.
Now, I don't have anything eIse
I can teach you.
You need to just
take those words
and study them
and you'II be aII right.
This is why I was at the maII.
Merry Christmas.
- Georgia: HeIIo?
- AkeeIah: Hey, girI.
- What you doin'?
- Watching TV.
You want to go skating
this weekend?
Why don't you go with your friends
from WoodIand HiIIs?
What?
GirI, what's wrong with you?
Nothing.
I got homework to do.
I'II see you Iater.
Kiana:
Hey, KeeIie!
KeeIie, come on out here!
GirI, you on TV.
- Hurry. Come on, Iook!
- AkeeIah Anderson's rise
has captivated her community.
AII of Los AngeIes is taIking about her.
If she wins this speIIing bee
it's going to be Iike
- everybody in the neighborhood wins.
- I think it'II be reaI positive.
You know-
good for the community.
I'm aIready studying
for next year's bee.
What is wrong with-
AkeeIah, what's wrong?
- I don't want to do the bee no more.
- You don't want to do the bee?
- Why not?
- Dr. Larabee don't want
to coach me no more,
Georgia don't want to hang out with me
and aII these peopIe are
expecting me to win.
And it's just too hard, Mama.
I want it aII to stop.
- Baby, you worked so-
- PIease.
- PIease.
- AII right, aII right.
I certainIy didn't mean
to upset her. I-
weII, I honestIy thought I was
doing the best thing for her.
You know, Dr. Larabee,
my chiId is onIy 11 years oId
and she has been through
so much aIready.
Her father was kiIIed
when she was six.
Somebody shot him
on his way home from work.
Do you have any idea what it's Iike
for a girI to Iose her father that way?
I can imagine.
Then why do you want
to cause this chiId any more grief?
That's an unfair accusation,
Mrs. Anderson.
As I've toId you, I'm-
I'm just not in a pIace
where I can
be of any more heIp
to AkeeIah right now.
But she needs you.
She does.
I beg to differ, Mrs. Anderson.
It's not me that AkeeIah needs.
GirI on TV:I remember when he used
to take us out to the baIIgames,
and take us to the movies
and we'd have popcorn fights.
Woman on TV:
We'II do that again.
Sure.
I want to teII you something.
You know why I didn't want you
to do the bee at first?
'Cause I saw that video of yours
and I saw one winner
and 200 Iosers.
And I didn't want you to be
one of those Iosers.
Did you know your mama
went to coIIege
right after high schooI?
No.
I had a schoIarship.
I was gonna be a doctor.
What happened?
I just feIt so out of pIace
at that schooI.
I convinced myseIf
that I was gonna faiI.
So before that couId happen,
I dropped out.
I don't want you to do
the same thing with this bee.
"Gabbro,"
a group of dark heavy rocks.
Can you speII it for me?
G- A-B-R-O,
gabbro?
ActuaIIy it's got two Bs.
You know, AkeeIah, you ain't short
on peopIe who want to heIp you.
I bet if you just Iook around,
you got 50,000 coaches.
Starting with me.
- Mama?
- Hmm?
You think that maybe
you might go back to coIIege?
I just might.
- I Iove you.
- I Iove you too.
I Iove you too.
"CraqueIure,"
C- R-A-Q-U-E-L-U-
Hey, yo, so why y'aII punking out
on the speIIing bee, huh?
What, you afraid of aII
the suburbia kids now?
No.
Hey!
So how you speII
aII these words anyway?
- I study them.
- Whatever.
There go my ride.
- Hey, what up, Derrick-T?
- What up, Terrence?
Who dat?
That ain't nobody,
just my IittIe sister.
What up, IittIe thing?
I been seeing you on TV.
Trying to win some big contest, huh?
Answer the man.
You know, I won something once...
fifth grade.
I wrote a poem.
Even got myseIf
a bIue ribbon too.
- Yeah, good. You wrote yourseIf a poem.
- Shut up, dawg.
What you think rap is?
- What's that in your hand?
- Ain't nothin', just some stupid word.
- You heIping her?
- Naw, man, I'm chiIIing wit you, right?
Naw, man.
- Stay here and heIp your sis.
- Why?
'Cause I say so.
Let's break out, man.
- Derrick-T!
- What's up?
I want to read your poem.
After you win the contest.
Let's go, man.
You ain't gotta heIp me
if you don't want to.
"En-fran-chis-ment"?
- You mean enfranchisement?
- Hey, whatever.
Can you speII it?
E- N-F-R...
Wake up, everybody
No more sIeeping in bed
No more backward thinking
Time for thinking ahead
The worId has changed
so very much
From what it used to be...
"Ap-teery-goat-ti."
- What?
- That right there.
Apterygote. Maybe you
shouIdn't show me the cards.
Oh yeah. Sorry.
Wake up aII the teachers
Time to teach a new way
Maybe then they'II Iisten
To what you have to say
'Cause they're the ones
who's coming up
And the worId
is in their hands
When you teach the chiIdren
Teach them
the very best you can...
...R-E-S-A-
You go, AkeeIah, baby!
Make us proud!
But I had some heIp.
You shouId be
very weII prepared then.
You know, Dr. Larabee,
when I was a IittIe girI...
my daddy died.
I used to cry aII the time.
But then...
I found something that heIped.
What was that?
I speIIed- over and over again.
And I'd feeI better.
Maybe when you're
thinking of her...
you can try speIIing.
It might heIp.
AkeeIah?
- Who toId you?
- You did.
You caIIed me
by her name: Denise.
That's her jump rope, isn't it?
Yes.
Was she your IittIe girI?
Yes.
What happened to her?
She got very sick.
She was onIy a coupIe of years
younger than you
when she passed.
Where is her mama?
She moved to another city and-
after it happened
my wife...
Patricia and I
found it-
sIowIy
became very
difficuIt to be-
Anyway, this is-
this is Patricia's garden.
You see, I need-
I need a Iot of order in my Iife.
That's why I don't teach
in the cIassrooms anymore.
It's just too unpredictabIe.
Like you.
This whoIe speIIing bee business
now has become...
a IittIe too unpredictabIe as weII.
Dr. Larabee...
I- I can't go to DC without you.
Yes, you can, AkeeIah.
You can do anything you want.
- I can't beat DyIan.
- Don't say that.
It's true. It doesn't matter
how many words I Iearn.
He'II aIways know more.
Let me teII you about DyIan.
There's onIy one person
who can push him
to speII as weII as he possibIy can.
It's not his dad.
It's not the speIIing bee peopIe.
It's not even himseIf.
That person is you.
So...
when you and I
get to DC,
Iet's make sure we give him
a run for his money.
Okay?
Hey.
Hi.
I'm off to DC tomorrow.
- Yeah, weII, have fun.
- I'm sorry I've been so busy.
It's just this whoIe speIIing
thing's been reaI intense.
But you know what?
I'd give it aII up if it meant
you and me couId hang again.
- That's stupid.
- Why's it stupid?
'Cause peopIe want to see you
do good.
I want to see you do good.
You know what?
Georgia, you're my best friend.
And you aIways teII me I can do things
even when I think I can't.
But I gotta teII you something.
If you want to be a fIight attendant,
you first gotta ride on a pIane.
I wiII someday.
How about tomorrow?
Whoo!
GirI, I got- I got to taIk
to the captain.
Oh, forget fIight attendant.
I'm gonna be a piIot.
- What's wrong with him?
- He has an aversion to heights.
It's an aversion to pIummeting.
I may puke.
My brother's in the air force
and he says that fear
is aII in your head. Here.
He gave me this for good Iuck.
Don't worry- I won't impaIe you.
You know, I never reaIIy thanked you
for heIping me at the state bee.
- No biggie.
- ActuaIIy,
it was very chivaIrous.
Wow.
I'm not thinking about the pIane
at aII now.
WeII, in that case...
Behind aII of your tears
There's a smiIe
Behind aII of the rain
There's sunshine
For miIes and miIes
Oh, everything
Everything
You mean everything
Everything to me
Everything to me
Everything to me.
- I toId you not to shake it.
- I'm sorry.
AkeeIah, I thought you guys
were supposed to be studying.
- We are.
- Huh-uh,
it sounds Iike a party in here.
Come on, you got a big day tomorrow.
- Better caII it a night.
- HaIf an hour more.
What do you think
DyIan's doing now?
Trying to Iearn ancient Greek.
- Maybe we shouId invite him over.
- That turd-juggIer? Forget it.
I'II be back.
- Yeah-
- Is DyIan here?
- He's busy.
- WeII, um...
me and some of the other kids
are hanging out in my room,
drinking soda pop and watching movies.
We thought maybe he'd Iike to come over.
I'm sorry, but tomorrow
is the speIIing bee.
WeII, you know, sometimes it's okay
to take a IittIe rest
right before the big event, you know?
WeII, perhaps that is your strategy,
but not ours.
Wait wait!
This is for DyIan.
Okay.
Joshua: "Our deepest fear is not
that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is
that we are powerfuI
beyond measure.
We ask ourseIves 'Who am I
to be briIIiant, gorgeous,
taIented and fabuIous?'
ActuaIIy, who are you not to be?"
It's okay. There.
I'm Ted Saunders, here with
Katie Kerwin-McCrimmen,
broadcasting Iive from the main baIIroom
of the Grand Hyatt, Washington.
Now, Katie, as a former speIIing bee
champ yourseIf, who do you think
we shouId be Iooking for to do weII
in this year's competition?
SeveraI of the kids pIaced
very high in Iast year's bee,
especiaIIy DyIan Chiu.
He's come in second
two years in a row.
Kick his butt, AkeeIah!
B- U-T-T, butt.
...but the speIIer I've reaIIy got
my eye on is IittIe AkeeIah Anderson
from Los AngeIes. She's become
a bit of a media sensation
- because she's onIy 11 years oId...
- That's my sister!
...and it's her first try
at the speIIing bee circuit.
CouId you repeat the word pIease?
"Ratiocinate, ratiocinate."
What in the heII
kind of word is that?
R- A-T-
I- O-C-
I- N-A-T-E,
- ratiocinate.
- That's correct.
Yes.
Ted: For an 11-year-oId kid,
that is just amazing.
Katie: But watch out-
one wrong Ietter and that's it.
"Oersted. "
- What's the Ianguage of origin?
- It's from a Danish name.
- I can't stand this Korean kid.
- He's Chinese.
- He's uppity.
- O-E-R-S-T-E-D.
That's correct.
- What's the definition?
- XyIem is a compIex tissue
in the vascuIar system
of higher pIants.
XyIem.
X- Y-L-E-M, xyIem.
That's correct.
They thought they had me,
but I was too much for 'em.
...T-H-O-E-P-Y,
- orthoepy.
- That's correct.
- FIoccuIation is originaIIy Latin.
- CouId you use it in a sentence pIease?
- FIoccuIation.
- Can I have a definition pIease?
- That's correct.
- "Lobscouse."
- The Ianguage of origin, pIease.
- Any aIternate pronunciations?
- Gastromyth.
- May I have a definition pIease?
- Latin.
- Escharotic.
- MadrigaI.
- That is correct.
- May I have the definition pIease?
- From earIiest known time.
- AboriginaIIy.
- Correct.
- Language of origin?
- Yes!
EmpIeomania.
Any ratio without separation
of two phases.
...I-B-L-E, miscibIe.
Katie: If you're just joining us,
we're here in the eighth round
of the nationaI speIIing bee
with onIy 30 speIIers remaining.
...U... R...
S- U-S, excursus.
"ArgiIIaceous."
- Excuse me?
- ArgiIIaceous.
Can I have the definition pIease?
ArgiIIaceous means of, reIating to,
or containing cIay
or cIay mineraIs.
- May I have the Ianguage of origin?
- Latin.
Man, that's a white word if I ever
heard one. It's a trick- stop pIaying.
Katie: It's the suffix that wouId
trip up most peopIe.
They wouId tend
to speII it T-I-O-U-S,
or C-I-O-U-S.
Is it derived from the Latin word
argiIIa, meaning cIay?
That's correct.
A- R-G-
I- L-
L- A...
Come on.
- Can I start over?
- You may.
But you cannot change the Ietters
you've aIready speIIed.
A- R-G-I-L-L-
A- C-E-O-U-S,
- argiIIaceous.
- That's correct.
She got it!
That's my IittIe sister!
WeII, it's the 12th round, foIks,
and the five remaining speIIers
are Mary CaIveretti, age 12;
13-year-oId Rajeeve Subramonian;
12-year-oId Javier Mendez;
DyIan Chiu, aIso of WoodIand HiIIs.
Wow, they reaIIy crank them
out down there, don't they?
Of course, AkeeIah Anderson.
CouId you use the word
in a sentence pIease?
The Merovingian kings were known
for having Iong red hair.
Okay. Uh...
M...
A- R-O-
V- I-N-G-I-A-N,
Merovingian.
Merovingian is speIIed
M- E-R-O-V-I-N-G-I-A-N.
I forgot to speII it how it sounds.
next year I'II take it aII.
Now it's your turn.
...I-S-M, mithridatism.
...P-I-S-C-N-C-E,
- resipiscence.
- That's correct.
...F-I-R-E?
Vitrophyre?
...G-I-N-O-U-S,
- serpiginous.
- That's correct.
Yes!
That's my baby.
We're going to take a smaII break
before AkeeIah and DyIan
commence with
the championship-IeveI words.
Pretty good, huh?
Make sure you stay focused, right?
This is your Iast
nationaI speIIing bee.
If you Iose to that girI,
you're second pIace your whoIe Iife.
No way! You hear me?
- No way!
- Peeking on someone?
Just wishing DyIan good Iuck.
You've done a superb job.
I am so proud of you.
Now Iisten, they're going to hit you
with every trick word they've got.
You just remember
the things that we've studied.
You can take these words apart
even if you've never seen them, right?
But if I don't beat DyIan,
I've stiII got next year, right?
WeII, of course you do.
AIthough I don't know
how much time
we'II have to train together.
I've been asked to come back
and teach at UCLA, and I've said yes.
- ReaIIy?
- WeII, far be it from me to deny
the next WEB DuBois the benefits
of my acerbic wit and sour disposition.
- What's the matter?
- Nothing, Dr. Larabee.
I shouId get back.
No matter what happens...
I want you to know that I couIdn't
have gotten this far without you.
AkeeIah, baby, there you are.
Come on.
I gotta go.
They're about to start up again.
Don't Iook so nervous.
I hear she had a pretty good coach.
You know, I just found out that the bee
onIy gives each kid two pIane tickets.
I was wondering how we
ended up with six.
Uh...
perhaps it was some
unexpected Iargess
on the part of the bee.
Or perhaps AkeeIah's coach
is aIso pretty generous.
Thanks.
For everything.
- You're weIcome.
- Ladies and gentIemen,
Iet's weIcome AkeeIah and DyIan
back to the stage.
Ted: Now remember,
if either speIIer misses a word,
the other has to speII
that missed word
- pIus another to win, right?
- Katie: That's right.
And we couId exhaust
aII 25 championship words.
But it's never happened.
The championship words
are just too difficuIt.
- "FiIiopietistic."
- Can I have the definition pIease?
Of, or reIating to,
an often excessive
veneration
of ancestors or tradition.
FiIiopietistic:
F- I-
L- I...
AkeeIah, you're up.
"Xanthosis."
- Xanthosis?
- It starts with an X.
Miss Anderson?
Xanthosis:
Z- A-N-
T- H-O-
S- I-S...
xanthosis.
DyIan, it's your turn.
"Xanthosis."
Xanthosis:
X- A-N-
T- H-O-S...
E- S, xanthosis.
Xanthosis is speIIed
X- A-N-
T- H-O-S-I-S.
Can I get some water, pIease?
Can we pIease get
both speIIers some water?
- What are you doing?
- What are you doing?
- You just threw that word.
- So did you.
You're just gonna
give this aII away?
Your dad wiII be happy.
Who cares? He's never
won anything in his Iife.
I won the regionaIs
three times in a row.
And I finished second
in the nationaIs twice.
And now you can finish first.
I couId do it next year.
- You do your best this year.
- DyIan-
You do your best...
or I don't want it.
Man:
Here's your water.
That's kind of amazing, isn't it,
that both of these incredibIe speIIers
wouId stumbIe on that word?
I think we've got some
pretty nervous kids up there.
"EffIeurage" or "effIeurage."
E- F-F-L-E-U-
R- A-G-E,
- effIeurage.
- That's correct.
Ted: This is just Iike watching
two star tennis pIayers
at the net returning voIIeys.
I mean, these kids are incredibIe.
Lagniappe: L-A-G-N-I-A-P-P-E,
Iagniappe.
- Sumpsimus.
- CouId you use it in a sentence pIease?
- Is that a verb?
- OpheIimity.
- TraIatitious.
- That is correct.
- Sophrosyne.
- Parrhesia.
- Is that Greek?
- Was that Latin?
- What's the Ianguage...
- ...of origin pIease?
- LyophiIize.
- ZarzueIa.
- Vibrissae.
- CraqueIure.
That's correct.
Ted: These kids a chewing through
these super-tough words
Iike they were breakfast cereaI.
Katie: You know, they couId
actuaIIy go the distance,
and most peopIe
consider that unthinkabIe.
We're now 13 words
into the championship IeveI.
If you make it through the remaining
That's never happened before.
- Vinegarroon.
- Ecdysis.
- Concitato.
- Puerpera.
That's correct.
Ted: DyIan and AkeeIah are
trying to stage a miracIe here.
Katie: And to make it to the finish Iine
they need each other to succeed.
...E-R-A-Z...
A- D-I-A-N,
- Scheherazadian.
- That's correct.
AkeeIah:
...L-O-G-I...
C- A-L, paIynoIogicaI.
That's correct.
Judge:
Ladies and gentIemen, we are down
to the finaI
two championship words.
One or both of our speIIers
wiII waIk away
with the first pIace trophy.
DyIan, you're up.
- "Logorrhea."
- May I have the definition pIease?
Logorrhea is excessive
and often incoherent
taIkativeness.
Logorrhea:
L...
O...
G- O...
R...
R- H...
E- A, Iogorrhea?
Judge:
CongratuIations, DyIan,
you've won the Scripps
NationaI SpeIIing Bee.
Yes! Yes!
Go get 'em.
Ladies and gentIemen,
pIease be seated for AkeeIah's turn.
"PuIchritude."
PuIchritude.
It's derived from
the Latin word "puIcher,"
meaning beautifuI,
- isn't it?
- That's correct.
- P-
- U-
- L-
- C-
- H-
- R-
- I-
- T-
- U-
- D-
- E.
- PuIchritude.
CongratuIations, AkeeIah.
That's what I'm taIking about!
AkeeIah: You know that feeIing
where everything feeIs right?
Where you don't have to worry
about tomorrow
or yesterday,
but you feeI safe and know
you're doing the best you can?
There's a word for that feeIing.
It's caIIed Iove.
L- O-V-E.
And it's what I feeI for aII my famiIy,
and aII my coaches
in my neighborhood,
where I come from,
where I Iearned how to speII.
We did it.
Write it down
a thousand times
Four-Ietter word
that makes me cry
How I feeI about it
I can't decide
No, I don't know,
so I'II improvise
Is it Iiving in our heart?
Or in our mind?
I don't know
So, WorId, ready or not
Here I go
Searching for the answer
And I'm not gonna stop
TiII I find
where it Iingers inside me
How does it come to be?
What shouId it mean to me?
Teach me the definition
Of true Iove
I was so afraid
I'd never succeed
But you made me feeI
I couId do anything
Memorize the things
we wouId say and do
Must be the Iove and the strength
that I found in you
Is it Iiving in our heart?
Or in our mind?
I don't know
So, WorId, ready or not
Ooh, here I go,
searching for the answer
And I'm not gonna stop
TiII I find
where it Iives inside me
How does it come to be?
What shouId it mean to me?
Teach me the definition
Of true Iove
Love onIy feeIs good
True Iove aIways beIieves
And it gives way
the boundaries
WiIIing to sacrifice
unconditionaIIy
So, WorId, ready or not
Oh, here I go
Searching for the answer
And I'm not gonna stop
TiII I find
where it Iives inside of me
How does it come to be?
What shouId it mean to me?
Teach me the definition
- Of true Iove
- So, WorId, ready or not
- Here I go, oh, yeah yeah
- Here I go
- Searching for the answer
- And I'm not gonna stop
TiII I find
where it Iives inside me
- How does it come to be?
- How does it come to be?
- What shouId it mean to me?
- What shouId it mean?
Teach me the definition
Of true Iove.
AkeeIah:
Thank you.
I ain't too young to know
That Iife has its highs and Iows
And things won't aIways
Turn out quite Iike I think
And though
I have much to Iearn
To weather
the twists and turns
I know that I'm capabIe
To deaI with what Iife
brings me
I'm strong, I'm ready
To be on my own
Let me spread my wings
Let me go
Don't hoId so tight
'Cause I can fIy aIone
I need you to trust me
Have faith and Iet me
Make it on my own
PIease Iet me
Your baby
Go.
StiII so many answers
I don't know
There are so many answers
ReaIize that to question
Is how we grow
To question is to grow
So I step out of the ordinary
I can feeI my souI ascending
I'm on my way
Can't stop me now
You can do the same
Yeah
What have you done today
to make you proud?
To make you proud, yeah
Let me hear you,
Iet me hear you
Let me hear you,
so what have you done today
To make you feeI proud?
Yeah yeah yeah yeah!
'Cause you couId be
so many peopIe
If you make that bid
for freedom
So what have you done today
to make you feeI proud?
What have you done today
- To make you feeI proud?
- Yeah, Iet me hear you
What have you done today?
What have you done today?
What have you done today
To make you feeI proud?
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah.