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Shrey Parikh beat fellow Indian-origin finalist Ishaan Gupta in a tense lightning-round tiebreaker to win the Scripps Spelling Bee.
Shrey Parikh lifts the trophy after winning the annual Scripps Spelling Bee with "cashaw" as his winning word. (Reuters)
New Delhi,UPDATED: May 29, 2026 08:15 IST
Indian-origin teenager Shrey Parikh won the United States’ largest and longest-running educational competition, the Scripps Spelling Bee, after defeating fellow finalist Ishaan Gupta in a tense lightning-round tiebreaker. The 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, sealed the title with a dominant display in the final on Thursday night.
Seen as one of the favourites going into the competition, Shrey lived up to expectations in the decisive 90-second spell-off round. He correctly spelled 32 words, finishing well ahead of Ishaan, who managed 25, in Washington, DC.
Shrey had finished third in the competition in 2024 and had also faced disappointment when he missed out after losing his school spelling bee while battling a fever. Since then, he has established himself as one of the strongest young spellers in the US, winning several online contests against many of the same participants he went up against this week.
Apart from spelling, Shrey has a wide range of interests, including tennis, reading, mathematics and chess. He also plays percussion in his school band and performs on instruments such as the snare drum, bass drum, timpani, toms, triangle, glockenspiel and marimba.
He also enjoys visiting India to spend time with his grandparents. His win capped a strong run in the competition and underlined the form he had shown in recent contests.
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Published By:
Sayan Ganguly
Published On:
May 29, 2026 08:14 IST
