HOUSTON --
The Scripps National Spelling Bee begins today in Washington D.C. and southeast Texas will be well represented. Twelve-year-old 6th grader Shobha Dasari from Pearland and 12-year-old 7th grader Sya-Mantok Payra from Friendswood will take part in the preliminaries today, hoping to advance to the next round.
There is a big change this year. For the first time, spellers will have to know the meaning of the word. Knowing the definition will count for half of their score.
ESPN will air the finals Thursday night at 7pm.
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