3 area kids advance to bee semifinals

The 83rd Scripps National Spelling Bee has been narrowed from 273 spellers from all over the globe to 48 semifinalists, including three from the D.C. area.

The semifinalists were selected based on a written test they took on Wednesday and two televised rounds on Thursday. Competition will continue Friday, and the champion will receive a trophy and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes on prime-time national television Friday evening.

The 48 semifinalists include two students from Virginia and one from Maryland. All three attend home school, according to their online biographies.

The local semifinalists:

-- Tim Ruiter, 12, an eighth-grade student from Centreville, Va., The two words Tim spelled correctly to advance to the semifinals: canapé and paparazzo. Tim is no stranger to the national spelling bee -- last year he attended and tied for second place.

-- Lanson Tang, 14, an eighth-grade student from Potomac. Lanson's two words: obelisk and prabhu. 

-- Sarah Anne Allen, 12, a seventh-grade student from Waynesboro, Va. Sarah correctly spelled sarsaparilla and alation.