Indian-origin teenager Shrey Parikh emerged victorious at the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee after an extraordinary performance in a dramatic lightning-round tiebreaker, defeating fellow Indian-origin finalist Ishaan Gupta and securing the championship title in the United States' largest and longest-running educational competition.
The 14-year-old student from Rancho Cucamonga demonstrated remarkable speed, accuracy, and composure during the decisive spell-off round. Contestants were given just 90 seconds to correctly spell as many words as possible, creating an intense and fast-paced conclusion to the competition. Shrey delivered an exceptional performance, correctly spelling 32 difficult words in a little over one and a half minutes while maintaining an impressive rhythm throughout the challenge.
As the countdown progressed, Shrey rapidly moved from one word to the next, pressing the buzzer immediately after each correct answer and wasting virtually no time between attempts. Although he encountered minor difficulties with challenging words such as “cydyddau,” “sawder,” and “uayeb,” those brief moments were not enough to slow his momentum or affect his lead.
When the timer finally expired, the audience erupted into loud applause as officials confirmed his score. Shrey responded with a visible smile of relief and stretched his fingers after repeatedly hitting the buzzer during the intense 90-second contest. His final tally of 32 correctly spelled words comfortably surpassed Ishaan Gupta’s total of 25 words, giving him a clear victory in the championship round held in Washington, D.C..
The winning word that ultimately sealed his championship was “cashaw,” a term sometimes associated with spellings such as “cushaw” and occasionally confused with words related to cashews. Correctly spelling the word secured his place as the latest champion of one of America's most respected academic competitions.
Shrey entered the competition as one of the favourites, having built a strong reputation among competitive spellers over the past several years. His victory was particularly meaningful because it followed both success and disappointment in previous editions of the competition. In 2024, he finished in third place, narrowly missing the championship despite a strong performance. He also experienced a setback when illness affected his performance during a school-level spelling competition, preventing him from advancing as he had hoped.
Rather than discouraging him, those experiences appeared to strengthen his determination. Over the following year, Shrey established himself as one of the most accomplished young spellers in the country, winning numerous online spelling competitions against many of the same contestants he later faced at the national championship.
Outside the world of spelling, Shrey maintains a wide variety of interests and activities. He enjoys playing tennis, reading books, studying mathematics, and playing chess. He is also deeply involved in music and performs as a percussionist in his school band. His musical abilities extend across several instruments, including the snare drum, bass drum, timpani, toms, triangle, glockenspiel, and marimba.
Shrey has also spoken about his enjoyment of visiting India and spending time with his grandparents, reflecting his continued connection to his family’s heritage. His success at the national competition has therefore been celebrated both within the United States and among members of the global Indian diaspora.
His victory continues a remarkable trend of Indian-American dominance in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Over the past two decades, students of Indian origin have achieved extraordinary success in the competition, winning a large majority of recent championships and becoming closely associated with excellence in competitive spelling.
The previous year's champion was Faizan Zaki from Dallas, who also comes from an Indian-American background. In 2024, Bruhat Soma captured the title after a thrilling spell-off performance in which he correctly spelled 29 out of 30 words within 90 seconds, defeating Faizan Zaki, who correctly spelled 20 words during the same round.
That championship earned Soma a cash prize of $50,000 along with several additional awards and scholarships. His performance was widely praised because of the complexity of the words involved and the remarkable speed with which he completed the challenge.
Shrey Parikh’s triumph in 2026 further strengthens the legacy of Indian-American excellence in the competition. His combination of preparation, resilience, speed, and composure under pressure allowed him to excel in one of the most demanding academic contests in the United States. The victory not only represents a personal achievement after years of dedication and competition but also adds another chapter to the remarkable success story of Indian-origin students at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
