WASHINGTON -- The nation's capital is hosting another group of super-smart students just a week after the National Geography Bee.

Fact Sheet: National Spelling Bee

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This batch may not know how to find every spot on the map, but you can bet they can spell it.

The 273 boys and girls are contestants in the 78th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

All the contestants take a written test, then face oral quizzing from a list of some 950 specially chosen words. A Florida fifth-grader looked a little heartsick Wednesday morning after misspelling the word for liver disease -- cirrhosis.

And there was a smile, though a sad one, on the face of an Illinois sixth-grader listening to the judge correct her spelling effort.

While some spellers may have stumbled in the first oral round, a point system will decide later whether they'll actually be eliminated.

Despite the pressure of competition, many were taking the competition in stride.

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Tyler Curtis, 13, of Tennessee, admitted it would be nice to win. But, as he put it, "I'm not going to get all stressed out over it."

This year, students will compete for $28,000 in cash, scholarships and bonds, plus a set of encyclopedias and other books from Encyclopedia Britannica.

The contestants range in age from 9 to 14. They survived local competitions in their various states to qualify for the prestigious national competition.

There are 146 boys and 127 girls competing for the national title.

Most of the spellers, 173, attend public schools. Of the 100 who don't, 38 go to private schools, 34 are home-schooled, 25 attend parochial schools and three attend charter schools.

There are four spellers who are making their fourth trip to the national spelling bee.

Thirteen spellers are making their third appearance and 52 are returning for a second trip.

Rounds one through four are scheduled for Wednesday. The championship rounds are set for Thursday.

Last year's spelling champ, David Tidmarsh, of South Bend, Ind., snagged the title with "autochthonous," meaning indigenous. He took home $12,000, an engraved cup and other prizes.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and longest-running educational promotion.

"Each year we gather in Washington D.C. to celebrate the academic achievements of the world's top young spellers," said Paige P. Kimble, director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and 1981 national spelling champion.

"While we're here to select a national spelling champion, it's important to recognize that all of the 273 young scholars who are assembled in Washington this week have already distinguished themselves as exceptional spellers. Qualifying to compete in the national competition is a significant accomplishment in its own right," she added.

The purpose of the National Spelling Bee is to help students improve spelling, increase vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all of their lives.

For more information, visit National Spelling Bee.