RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA — In a feat of focus, after six years of Spelling Bee competition, Shrey Parikh did the Inland Empire and all of California proud to win the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee title.
This is the "Super Bowl" of spelling, with some of the most intense pressure elementary school students can endure, according to contestants. We know you want to know the winning word. But this year, it was not just one but 32 properly spelled within a tense 90 seconds to earn the hard-won tournament victory.
Thursday, Shrey Parikh, 14, an 8th Grader from won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in a spell-off after nine rounds of intense competition.
It's been a long road to get to this point, according to the AP. He came in third in the 2024 competition and missed the 2025 competition after an early exit from his school district bee.
This year, he arrived at the competition as a favorite. He works with three coaches, pays for word lists and study guides, and attempts to learn every Greek and Latin root, every language pattern, every spelling bee-worthy word he can find.
He also competes throughout the year in online bees that pit him against the country’s other top spellers. This week, all of that training paid off in spades.
Shrey’s approach has proven effective for spellers seeking to hold the trophy, and on Wednesday, he became one of nine spellers who got through the semifinals and will compete in the finals Thursday night.
To complete the day, he battled Ishaan Gupta, 12, of Jersey City, New Jersey, to correctly spell 32 words in 90 seconds. Ishaan correctly spelled 25 words in the same amount of time. This is the most words spelled correctly in a spell-off to date, according to the Bee.
During the competition, he told reporters that he "felt his body shake from nerves and doubts" every time he walked up to the microphone. "Once I get the word, I’m not really nervous anymore, because then it’s all in my control.”
During the speed round, his mother counted each word he spelled, she told reporters.
“I was counting and I’m like, OK, this is more than 30,” said Shrey’s mother, Khyati Mehta. “And at that point, I’m like, ‘I think this is it.’”
The winning word was "Bromocriptine," which is defined as an "ergot derivative that mimics the activity of dopamine in inhibiting prolactin secretion," according to Merriam-Webster dictionary.
The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools congratulated Shrey in a social media message.
"This year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee champion hails from San Bernardino County!" they wrote. "This was (Shrey's) third time competing in the Spelling Bee, making his victory even more remarkable. What an unforgettable achievement!Congratulations, Shrey! We are so proud of you!"
Shrey will take home $50,000 in cash prizes, the Scripps Cup trophy, and cash awards from Merriam-Webster and Delta, as well as an exclusive gift from Encyclopedia Britannica.
Victoria Li, the other ace speller in the Inland Empire, placed 10th in the hard-fought competition.
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