WASHINGTON - He's a mother's dream child. He's an 11-year-old sixth-grader and a spiffy dresser: shirt tucked in, belt, properly fitting pants, loafers. He's well-groomed with an infectious smile that's just a teensy bit mischievous.

MATTHEW'S WORDS Round 2: nimiety - (Latin) excess, redundancy. Round 3: diaspora - (Greek) dispersion, as of people of common origin or beliefs. Round 4: talaria - (Latin) winged shoes of mythical gods.

Matthew Evans is also a good - well, better than good - speller.

And today he's one of 46 spellers to become a TV spelling star appearing on ESPN's live broadcast of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., beginning at 10 a.m. (Mountain Daylight Time) and ending when about 10 to 15 spellers remain.

If all goes well, Matthew will be among those who compete in the championship rounds to be telecast live by ABC (KOAT-Channel 7) at 7 p.m.

"I'm just really happy I made it. It's a dream," the home-schooled youngster from Albuquerque said.

He's had the dream since second grade. Not many kids can sustain a dream through five years of elementary school.

With the help of his mom, Helen Evans, who does double-duty as his spelling coach, they've crammed more than 24,000 words into a series of three-ring binder study guides.

Many of those terms have been squished into his mind, waiting to be pulled out as soon as national bee pronouncer Jacques Bailly gives Matthew his luck-of-the-draw word.

At the end of Wednesday's competition, Matthew said he thought the words in Round 4 were more difficult than in Round 3.

They may have been, but it didn't make any difference.

"Thankfully, I knew my words. That's all that matters."

His Round 4 word came from the 2003 Paideia, a study book published by the national bee.

When Matthew was in third grade, he qualified for the 2003 Tribune Regional Spelling Bee, but he spelled out early. He hung onto the book, though. Some day it might come in handy. Wednesday was that day.

Today, he plans to pray as he approaches the microphone on stage at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Washington. He does this every time.

"It helps, even if I know the word," he said.

Helen Evans said prayer helps Matthew focus and remain calm beneath the bright lights and cameras.

It's a preparation that has worked three consecutive years in the regional bee, which takes champions from 19 counties in central and northern New Mexico in a March competition. That contest earns one speller a trip to Washington to compete in the national bee. Matthew has been that speller for three years.

His goal of making it to ESPN was reached. The next one is making it to the ABC broadcast, which could put him among the top 10 spellers out of 274 who began the competition on Wednesday.

Matthew is already thinking ahead to his next two years of eligibility - and his goal of winning the national bee.

This morning before the ESPN broadcast begins "is officially my last study session," he said, "till I start back up in the summer."