The final word spelled by Dylan is "logorrhea." This is the winning word from the documentary Spellbound (2002) that tracks several participants in the 1999 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.
Jacques Bailly is the National Spelling Bee Pronouncer in the movie and is the Pronouncer for the Bee in real life. He also won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1980.
George Hornedo, who plays Roman, also served as an unofficial consultant as he was a former National Spelling Bee finalist himself.
The first film to be produced by Starbucks Coffee.
The quote that Dr. Larabee has Akeelah read from a plaque on his wall is an excerpt from "A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles" by Marianne Williamson.