A sixth-grader from Corona advanced and a Chino Hills eighth-grader advanced to the final day of competition in the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland, but both were eliminated Thursday morning.
Loving Savior Lutheran School eighth-grader Daniel Chen advanced to Thursday's final round. He correctly spelled his first word of the finals -- "perinephric," which is a connective, fatty tissue surrounding the kidney.
Chen incorrectly spelled "carosella" -- a fennel grown for its edible stems -- later Thursday.
Aisha Randhawa, who attends Garretson Elementary School, also was among 291 spellers taking to the stage of the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center for the bee's second and third rounds. She correctly spelled pentalogy, meaning a narrative work divided into five parts, then spelled bidialectal, meaning someone who is proficient in two dialects of a language.
She was eliminated from the bee after spelling her first word of the finals incorrectly. That word was "dimity" -- a cotton fabric.
An eighth-grader from Torrance and a seventh-grader from Yorba Linda correctly spelled their second- and third-round words Wednesday, but both were eliminated from the competition.
Spellers correctly spelling their third-round word can be among the maximum of 50 spellers advancing to Thursday's semifinals if their score on a test of 12 hand-written spelling words and 14 multiple-choice vocabulary questions is high enough. The test, completed Tuesday, is considered the bee's first round.
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A misspelling in either the second or third round means the contestant is eliminated.
The bee is limited to students in eighth grade or below, with contestants ranging in age from 6 to 15 years old.
The field of 291 spellers consists of students who won locally sponsored bees in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, along with American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense schools in Europe. Six foreign nations are also represented -- the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea.
Last year, the bee made the championship rounds longer and the words tougher, but it still ended with two spellers sharing the title. This year, the bee added a second written and vocabulary test that the remaining spellers will take before the prime time finals on Thursday. The results will be used only if necessary to break a tie.
Below, a look at participants from the Los Angeles area.
Haley Jeffers, Camarillo: Haley is an eighth-grader at Las Colinas Middle School. She competed in the 2016 National Spelling Bee.
Jennifer Lau, Torrance: Jennifer qualified for the national bee by winning the Los Angeles County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee on March 12. Her final word was ursine, an adjective meaning of, relating to or characteristic of a bear. She finished second in the 2015 regional bee. Her older brother Timothy won the 2014 regional bee and finished 13th in the national bee.
Winston Zuo, Yorba Linda: Winston qualified by winning the Orange County Spelling Bee Feb. 25. His final word was terete, an adjective meaning slender and smooth with a circular transverse section.
Daniel Chen, Chino Hills: Daniel is an eighth-grader at Loving Savior Lutheran School. He also competed in last year's spelling bee.
Shubhokkan Chakma, San Bernardino: Shubhokkan is a seventh-grader at Richardson PREP HI Middle School.
Aisha Randhawa, Corona: Aisha is a sixth-grader at Garretson Elementary School. She tied for 22nd at the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
