Two children from Massachusetts are competing in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, testing their acumen against more than 200 other kids from around the country and beyond.
Tanoshi Inomata, 10, of Boston, a fourth-grader at Winship Elementary School in Brighton, and Adarsh Venkannagari, 9, of Lynn, a fourth-grader at Paul P. Gates Elementary School in Acton, are participating in the 94th annual contest, according to the polysyllabic proving ground’s website.
Tanoshi, who is sponsored by the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, and Adarsh, sponsored by The Daily Item of Lynn, are among 231 spellers vying to be crowned top speller.
Advertisement
Ardash is one of 121 contestants advancing to the quarterfinals on Wednesday, according to the Scripps National Spelling Bee website.
Tanoshi was eliminated in the second round — a “word meaning round” — of Tuesday’s competition, the website said. He finished in 140th place, tied with 33 other spellers eliminated in the same round.
In the first round, Tanoshi correctly spelled the word “corrigenda,” the website said.
However, he was eliminated after incorrectly explaining the meaning of the word “pendulous.”
“Tanoshi likes singing, playing the piano, reading Japanese books and drawing. He also likes playing with his cat and younger brother,” according to his biography on the contest’s website. “Tanoshi has been a member of HHYC, the Handel and Haydn Youth Chorus, for three years.”
Adarsh’s biography describes him as a “huge” Celtics fan.
“Adarsh is a voracious reader and considers himself a Harry Potter and Percy Jackson fanatic,” the biography states. “He loves playing board games, biking in summers, skiing in winters, playing piano, and is part of his school chorus and orchestra.”
The preliminary rounds began Tuesday morning on the ION Television network, with quarterfinals airing Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the site says. The semifinals will air Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and ION will broadcast the finals at the same time on Thursday.
Advertisement
This year’s contest is being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. Contestants range in age from 9 to 14.
“This year, 231 spellers earned their spots as national competitors by advancing through regional spelling bees, competing against students representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense Schools in Europe,” the competition’s website says. “Spellers will also represent three countries outside the US: the Bahamas, Canada, and Ghana.”
Globe Correspondent Claire Law contributed to this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.