Irvine 12-year-old is county’s top speller

Twelve letters made all the difference for Irvine seventh-grader Sarika Rau.

She correctly spelled “foreordained” — meaning to dispose or appoint in advance — to clinch the title on Saturday of Orange County Spelling Bee champion. The annual contest, hosted by the Orange County Department of Education, was a showdown among 47 of the county’s best spellers in grades 6, 7 and 8 from public and private schools.

For weathering four hours and 18 rounds of intense competition, Sarika, a seventh-grade student from Sierra Vista Middle School in the Irvine Unified School District, walked away with a trophy and a copy of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. She will now compete in the 88th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May.

The 12-year-old also earned bragging rights by trumping her older brother’s performance. Her brother, Amrit, had come in 10th in the 2012 county spelling bee, according to a department of education spokesman.

On Saturday, second-place honors went to Kelly Hong from Heritage Oak Private School in Yorba Linda; Ayush Nabar from Brea Junior High in the Brea Olinda Unified School District placed third. Competitors earned a seat at the countywide spelling bee by winning preliminary events at their schools and a countywide written round last week with more than 100 competitors.