An Indian-origin teenager from California has won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee, setting a new record in the competition’s dramatic spell-off round.
Fourteen-year-old Shrey Parikh lifted the trophy on Thursday night in Washington after defeating fellow finalist Ishaan Gupta in a fast-paced tiebreaker that had the audience inside Constitution Hall on the edge of their seats.
Shrey correctly spelled 32 words in 90 seconds during the spell-off, the highest score ever recorded since the format was introduced in 2022. Ishaan managed 25 correct spellings but could not keep pace with Shrey’s speed and accuracy. For Shrey, the victory was extra special because just a year ago, his spelling bee journey had hit a painful low point.
Indian-origin teen wins Scripps National Spelling Bee
The winning word was “Bromocriptine.” It’s a medicine originally sourced from a natural grain fungus that acts like a substitute for a crucial brain chemical (dopamine) to keep your body’s movements and hormones in balance.
According to the Associated Press, the California teen had shockingly lost his school-level spelling bee after blanking on the word “callipers” while battling a fever caused by a viral illness. The defeat was especially surprising because Shrey had already established himself as one of the country’s top young spellers and had even finished third nationally in 2024.
“Right now, I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m just so happy and relieved, and just such a flood of emotions,” Shrey told AP after his big win. “At my school bee last year, I was really dejected and just very upset. It didn’t even sink in until the next day. I had a really tough time, but I’m glad I was able to bounce back.”
After that setback, Shrey took a short break before returning to intense preparation. Coaches who worked with him said he became even more focused and determined, studying missed words carefully and pushing himself harder than ever.
Former spelling bee co-champion Sohum Sukhatankar, who coached Shrey along with Sam Evans and Vijaya Ganesh, said the teenager had an unusual ability to learn from mistakes.
“Whenever I would quiz him, he would take notice of his missed words. He’d analyse every missed word he had, try to figure out why he missed it,” Sohum said. “All the time I coached him, he’d never miss a word twice.”
The final itself was packed with tension. The nine finalists started strongly and got through the opening rounds without a single mistake. As the next round progressed, two of the strong contenders, Oliver Halkett and Zwe Spacetime, were eliminated on difficult words with tricky pronunciations and origins.
Eventually, only Shrey and Ishaan remained.
Another India-origin champion
His victory also continued the long dominance of Indian-origin contestants at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Shrey became the 31st champion of Indian heritage in the past 37 years, continuing a remarkable streak that began in 1999.
This year’s bee was held at Constitution Hall instead of its longtime suburban convention center location, a move that had upset some families because of the inconvenience.