Four Indian-origin kids enter Australian spelling bee final

Four Indian-origin children, including a pair of twins, are among 50 kids who have reached the finals of the Great Australian Spelling Bee contest, media reported on Monday.

Scheduled to be aired on Channel 10 from August 3, the Great Australian Spelling Bee contest chose the finalists from over 3,000 children across Australia.

"These kids are the brightest in their schools, classes and States," The West Australian quoted show host Grant Denyer as saying.

Anirudh Kathirvel, twins Harpita and Harpith and Tej - all passed the three stages to reach the finals.

In the first stage, the participants appeared for three online tests -- spelling, grammar and comprehension. The second stage included a Skype interview and spelling test.

In the third stage, the students were tested on the bases of a live audition and spelling test.

The students said they did not take any special training for the competition.

Harpita's favourite word to spell was Cafune, a word of Brazilian Portuguese origin which means act of running fingers through a loved one's hair.

Harpith's favourite word was 'Floccinaucinihilipilification'; one of the longest words in the English language it means the action or habit of estimating something as worthless.

The Great Australian Spelling Bee witnesses children aged from eight to 13 compete in a series of word-related games and challenges.

To advance, each speller must display a combination of speed, skill and smartness to deconstruct words they may never have heard before, let alone spelt.