Word buffs get chance to take on Stephen Fry in spelling bee

Stephen Fry has thrown his considerable weight behind a spelling app created by the learning disability charity Mencap.

Fry will compete against internet users at “Spellathon”, an educational game where players are asked to spell words backwards.

The actor and broadcaster has already established a reputation as an obsessive gadget fan and elite member of the Twitterati.

The Spellathon app allows users to raise money for Mencap while playing.

To compete with the Fry, fans need to create an online profile. Those who correctly spell 50 words in reverse and raise £15 for the charity by 1^st February 2012 will be given the chance to compete live with the man himself. Players will be able to see and hear Fry through a webcam during the game.

Fry has also lent his voice to the game, playing the part of ‘The Professor”, a talking bee.

He described the project as “just about the best integration of imagination, education, technology inclusiveness and fun I’ve ever encountered.

“I’m very proud to have been involved in it,” he added.

Competitors can raise money while playing via a JustGiving fundraising page automatically created when a profile is set up. New characters or “spelling bees” are unlocked for every £3 raised.

The app is available to download on iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, HTC and interactive whiteboards.