Scripps Spelling Bee 2026 Live Updates: Shrey Parikh Wins After Tense Spell-Off (opens in new tab)

W-I-N-N-E-R. Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, is the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. The eighth grader prevailed over Ishaan Gupta, 12, a seventh grader from Jersey City, New Jersey, in a dramatic spell-off that tested their speed as much as their precision. After 18 rounds over a three-day competition, it came down to a blistering duel in which they each had 90 seconds to correctly spell as many words, served from the same list, as they could. Shrey...