After years of near misses, setbacks, and relentless preparation, 14-year-old Shrey Parikh captured the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship Thursday night in a dramatic, record-breaking finish.
The Rancho Cucamonga, California, eighth-grader defeated runner-up Ishaan Gupta of New Jersey during a fast-paced spell-off tiebreaker, correctly spelling 32 words in 90 seconds — the highest total since the format was introduced in 2022.
Shrey secured the title with “bromocriptine,” described as “a polypeptide alkaloid that is a derivative of ergot and mimics the activity of dopamine.”
“Once I get the word,” Shrey said, “I’m not really nervous anymore, because then it’s all in my control,” the Associated Press reported.
The championship capped a six-year spelling career marked by both success and disappointment. Shrey finished third at the national bee in 2024 but failed to qualify last year after unexpectedly missing the word “calipers” during his school spelling bee while recovering from an illness.
“At my school bee last year, I was really dejected and just very upset,” Shrey said, per AP. “I had a really tough time, but I’m glad I was able to bounce back.”
After taking several months away from competition, Shrey returned to studying with renewed intensity. Coaches said his attention to detail and determination separated him from other elite competitors.
“Whenever I would quiz him, he would take notice of his missed words,” said coach Sohum Sukhatankar, a 2019 co-champion, per AP. “All the time I coached him, he’d never miss a word twice.”
Another coach, Sam Evans, praised Shrey’s work ethic.
“I’ve really never seen someone put this much effort into spelling bees, into learning everything that he possibly can,” Evans said, according to the AP. “Shrey is relentless.”
The finals at Washington’s Constitution Hall featured nine accomplished finalists who collectively spelled the first 18 words correctly before eliminations began.
Third-place finisher Sarv Dharavane of Georgia exited in round 17 after misspelling “disa,” while Shrey and Ishaan advanced to the spell-off after only one additional conventional round.
The tiebreaker briefly faced a delay because of a malfunctioning buzzer, adding to Shrey’s nerves before the final sprint began.
“That was really, like, scary for me,” he said, according to AP.
Still, once competition resumed, Shrey quickly established control. Ishaan correctly spelled 25 words during the spell-off but struggled to match Shrey’s pace.
“Spelling fast is what I do every day,” Shrey said, per CNN. “A spell-off just came naturally.”
The spell-off format, introduced in 2021, remains controversial among some traditionalist spelling-bee participants who prefer the extended head-to-head rounds that have historically decided championships.
“It’s a perversion of many values that I and many in the spelling community hold dear,” said former competitor and current coach Navneeth Murali, AP reported. “I think everyone would have liked to see a duel, but it looks like the spell-off is here to stay.”
Shrey is the 31st champion of Indian heritage of the past 37 champions, continuing a trend that began with Nupur Lala’s victory in 1999. In the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee, seven of the eight co-champions were of Indian heritage.
As champion, Shrey received more than $50,000 in cash and prizes, along with the Scripps Cup trophy and additional awards.
“Right now I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been,” Shrey said, per AP. “I’m just so happy and relieved, and just such a flood of emotions.”
Four North Texas students made it into the quarterfinals of the competition. Benjamin Pearson of DeSoto was knocked out in round 4 by the word “stapes,” while Luke Sturlin of Burleson was eliminated in the same round for misspelling “cosmogony.” Krish Manjunath of Coppel lasted to round 9, where he stumbled over the spelling of “Delonix.” Avishka Dudala of Prosper made it all the way to round 12, where she misspelled “oconee bells.”
