A group of English women formed a picket line yesterday outside where the Scripps National Spelling Bee, that quintessentially American competition, was being held.

Inside, 286 of America’s best young spellers, selected from a pool of ten million children, were being whittled down to quarter finalists by words ranging from “maggot” to “bewusstseinslage”.

Proud parents beamed but the lips of some children could be seen trembling as they walked across the stage and approached the microphone under the bright lights of TV cameras. Such is the appeal of this annual spectacle that the final rounds will be broadcast nationwide in prime time tonight.

Masha Bell, a former English teacher from Dorset, who was among those who had flown across the Atlantic to protest, said that she had “nothing but admiration for those clever children” performing in the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington.

Her grouse is that the language England has inflicted across America and much of the rest of the world has been made unnecessarily difficult because of all the inconsistencies that it has picked up over time.

Clutching a placard reading on one side: “It’s time to take the sting out of spelling,” and “Let’s end the ‘i’ in friend” on the other, she evangelises for the British-based Simplified Spelling Society. “This is our chance to get some publicity,” she said pushing a leaflet into the hands of a startled passer-by. “If spelling was made easier, more people would become literate and confident about writing and children would have more time to learn many other useful things – and to play.”

Matthew Marley, a home-schooled 13-year-old boy from Burlington, North Carolina, said that it was first visit to the nation’s capital. So, what do all the children do in the evening? “Some of us form study groups so that we learn more words,” he replied. “We also go round trying to get autographs. I’m trying to get all 286 competitors to sign my book.”

The hot favourite this year is Samir Patel from Colleyville, Texas, who is a spelling bee phenomenon, having won third place aged 9 and second place two years ago but coming in fourteenth last year when he failed to spell “eremacausis”. Now aged 13, this will be his fifth and final shot at the trophy and $35,000 (£18,000) prize.

He knows the pressure. “Life is not completely about the spelling bee and I’ve learnt to realise that,” he said. “But I will be disappointed if I don’t win.”

James Maguire, the author of American Bee, says that Samir is a surprisingly well-rounded individual with a great sense of humour. “But he is pretty much full-time, taking maybe just a month off spelling after a competition. He has spent almost half his life preparing for these competitions and it will sad if does not get to go home with the trophy.”

Samir is part of a strong immigrant tradition in the competition, which has been won by children of Indian descent in five of the past eight years. “It is a huge thing in the temples,” Mr Maguire said. “You will find today’s results being reported heavily back in India.”

Hard words

The words that spelt defeat for Samir Patel

2003: Boudin He finished 3rd

2004: Corposant 27th

2005: Roscian 2nd

2006: Eremacausis 14th

Sources: Scripps National Spelling Bee; dictionary.com

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