LI word wiz, 10, going to national bee

He may only be 10 years old, but East Meadow's Naman Shakrani has always had a way with words.

As a toddler, he recognized store signs and pointed to words his mother spelled on a magnetic board. He won his first spelling bee at age 4. In elementary school, he'd balance a book on his lap to read while seated on a swing.

He read all seven Harry Potter books -- three times each -- in the fourth grade.

Now a sixth-grader at W. Tresper Clarke Middle School in Westbury, Naman is the hope of Long Island as he readies for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, to be held June 1-2 in suburban Maryland. The renowned competition draws 275 of the best spellers from across the country, as well as a number of international contestants.

What does Naman want from his first trip to the majors, after coming out on top in last month's Long Island Spelling Bee?

"Easy words," he said.

The Scripps bee, dating from 1925, has been the subject of the documentary film "Spellbound" and the motion picture "Akeelah and the Bee." Last year, Anamika Veeramani, 14, from North Royalton, Ohio, won after correctly spelling the word "stromuhr" -- an instrument that measures the flow of viscous substances, such as blood through an artery.

The top winner gets about $40,000 in cash and prizes. The national level has no lower age limit, but eighth grade is the cutoff to compete.

"We think the bee is the premiere academic opportunity for middle- and elementary-age students," said Paige Kimble, director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. "It is an opportunity for the nation to celebrate our best and brightest."

For Naman, preparation involves a 2,600-page dictionary so thick and heavy that his father, Kamlesh, positioned a laptop table to hold it. Before school, Naman picks a random letter and turns to the page, using a large black-rimmed magnifying glass to seek out the toughest word.

"I started on 'H,' " he said. "And I am going to read one word every day."

His classmates at Clarke, which is part of the East Meadow school district, are behind him too. Every Friday, his English Language Arts teacher and other students try to stump Naman. So far, they've failed.

"I was hoping to get him with onomatopoeia," which means a word that imitates the sound it represents, said teacher Marge Sweeny. "He is a very determined young man. He has great support and a lot of encouragement, and is very determined to do the best he can."

Naman first won his classroom bee. Then he competed in the school bee at Clarke, which has about 600 students. He and three others remained standing when the school organizers ran out of words.

They had to call Scripps to get a second round of words, then held a second school bee with just the final four students, which Naman won.

"He knows a lot of good words," said classmate Angelica Dziekan, 11. "I think if he studies and works hard, he can win."

Unlike many other contestants, Naman prefers not to ask for a word's definition or an alternate pronunciation. Rather, he said, he sees the word flash in his head as if it were projected on an LCD screen. That was his strategy last month when he won the Long Island Spelling Bee, open to 21 spellers in fourth to eighth grade. After 10 rounds, he correctly spelled "noctograph," a writing frame for the blind. He said he had not heard the word before.

"When I came up, I was like, 'Please let me get an easy word,' " Naman said. His parents and brother Eshan, 9, watched anxiously in the audience at Plainview Old-Bethpage Middle School.

"Each time he came up my heart skipped a beat," said his mother, Bijal.

Naman said he also enjoys playing Wii video games, bowling, tennis and piano. He's also a "Jeopardy!" fan. As the national bee draws closer, Naman said he will step up his studying.

"I'm hoping he doesn't take it seriously if he loses," said his father. "I don't want to push him that hard."