Shrey Parikh, 14, wins the Scripps Spelling Bee after a nail-biting 'spell-off' ^8.3%

NPR - By Rachel Treisman - 5/29/2026, 4:58 AM

Biased Writer Voice 26.4% - Availability Heuristic 15.4% - Optimism Bias 12.3%

WASHINGTON, D.C. — After three days of competition, 18 total rounds and one nail-biting, rapid-fire "spell-off," the Scripps National Spelling Bee has crowned its champion: 14-year-old Shrey Parikh from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Over the course of two hours on Thursday night, the pool of nine finalists dropped to two: Parikh and... more