Shrey Parikh of California wins 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in spell-off

Shrey Parikh emerged victorious Thursday in the 98th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 14-year-old eighth-grader from Rancho Cucamonga, California, bested a field of eight contenders who had advanced to the finals. Shrey and 12-year-old Ishaan Gupta of Jersey City, New Jersey, were the last two spellers standing. The two went to a spell-off to determine the winner. In the spell-off, each had 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible. …