Coonabarabran's grade three student William Weatherall to compete in state spelling championship

These are just some of the words primary school students like William Weatherall from Coonabarabran Public School may have to spell when they come head to head in November for the NSW Premier's Spelling Bee junior state finals.

"You are not always right in spelling, but can use strategies like sounding out in my head or remembering things like 'i before e except after c'," said William.

The grade three student earned himself a spot in the state finals after winning a spelling bee at his school and one of 60 online regional finals involving 820 schools across the state. He said he practised for the competition but also had a little luck on his side.

"It was the luck of the draw with the words, some people got easier words and some got harder words, my winning word was 'necessary'," he said.

"I practised a lot, mum said the words to be and I spelt them then we marked them with a highlighter if I got them wrong so we could go over them again."

Nearly 1,600 students competed in the online regional finals from a starting pool of over 165,000 students. The junior state final is set to be held on November 4 at the ABC Centre in Sydney and William says he's looking forward to competing against students from around the state.

Now in its 19th year, the Premier's Spelling Bee started in 2004 as a fun way for primary school students to improve their spelling. It includes activities to encourage all students to improve their vocabulary and spelling and to promote literacy skills.

"I congratulate all the students who have participated in the regional finals - you have already won by making it this far and demonstrating your fabulous spelling skills," said NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said it is exciting to see the in-person state finals on the calendar again this year with COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted.

"It is a tribute to schools and the Arts Unit that they have found new ways to deliver this wonderful event while keeping students safe," she said.

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