New Delhi, Nov.13 Students in north India will have a chance to test their spelling mettle in the third annual Spelling Bee competition sponsored by the U.S. Embassy's American Center in New Delhi.

This year, the Center has partnered with Merriam-Webster, publisher of America's best-selling English dictionary.

More than 50 schools are expected to participate in this year's Bee, which kicks off at St. Columba's School in New Delhi on Tuesday, November 17 at 10 am. A second round will be held at Amity in Gurgaon on Monday, November 23, with a third round in Chandigarh on Monday, December 7.

The best spellers from each round will meet for the Final Bee to be held at the American Center in January 2010.

Spelling bees are an enduring educational tradition in the United States. In 2009, the winner was a 13-year-old Indian American, Kavya Shivshankar, who won the Bee after she correctly spelled "laodicean."

Eight Indian-Americans have now won the title, including 6 in the past 10 years.

This year's round of spelling bees is just one of the many opportunities to highlight the people-to-people ties and shared commitment for education that distinguishes the U.S.-India relationship.

Education is one of the key pillars of this relationship which encapsulates all fields of human endeavor.

Merriam-Webster is providing free dictionaries to each school and student who participates. (ANI)