2 Philly smarties competing in National Spelling Bee

The Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off today in National Harbor, Maryland.

Why it matters: Nine Pennsylvania whiz kids are vying for the crown of world's best speller.

Driving the news: More than 240 contestants are competing in preliminaries, which begin at 8am this morning and can be watched on ION Plus.

Zoom in: Representing the Philly region are 13-year-old Leul Geremew of Mays Landing, New Jersey, and 10-year-old Jayden Jiang of South Philly.

What they're saying: Axios asked Leul and Jayden what relatively easy word they commonly misspell:

• Leul: Satellite
• 🍇 Jayden: Raisen

What's next: The quarterfinals are Wednesday from 8am-1pm.

• Semifinals: 8-10pm
• Finals: Thursday, 8-10pm.