California has a new national champion.
And it’s because of words like bromocriptine, cywyddau and taurokathapsia.
In a dramatic “spell-off” to determine the winner, Shrey Parikh emerged victorious and was named the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.
“I feel so, so, so happy, and just kind of relieved that this long, this long Bee is over because it’s been really stressful for me,” Parikh said.
It wasn’t the first time the 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga was a finalist.
Two years ago, Parikh took home third place, setting the stage for what could’ve been a big 2025. However, he missed the cut for the national competition, which caused him to reevaluate his future of spelling.
“At my school bee last year, it was, I was really dejected and just very upset. It didn’t even sink in until the next day, and I had a really tough time,” he said.
After taking six months off to deal with the disappointment, Parikh threw himself back into training. And the hard work paid off.
Parikh last 18 regular rounds before a spell-off was used to determine the winner. He dominated the competition at that point, setting a National Spelling Bee record in the spell-off portion with 32 words in 90 seconds, capping it off with ‘bromocriptine.’
“I kind of accepted the fact that there was going to be a spell off, and I calmed my mind, I got some water earlier before the spell off, and I just tried to take it all in stride and do the best I could,” he said.
12-year-old Ishaan Gupta took home second place after spelling 25 words in the spell-off, while three-time veteran Sarv Dharavanetook home third place for the second consecutive year.
“I was so nervous for every word, but I just reminded myself that I needed to trust my instincts,” Parikh said. “Once I get the word, I’m not really nervous anymore, because then it’s all in my control. Before I get the word, it’s just like, what word am I gonna get?”
Parikh spent five hours a day studying for this moment, receiving tutoring from coaches that paid off in a big way — literally.
As champion, Parikh received more than $50,000 in cash prizes and a trip to Universal Orlando Resort theme parks. He also received a one-year subscription to the Merriam-Webster — the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States — unabridged online reference book.