Published on
29/05/2026 - 16:18 GMT+2
The US has crowned a new spelling bee champion. All it took was three days, 18 rounds and a 90-second spell-off that had audiences looking up words they never knew existed.
Fourteen-year-old Shrey Parikh from California won the 98th Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, taking the title in a dramatic finale.
Nine competitors began the evening in the field. More than two hours later, only Parikh and 12-year-old Ishaan Gupta from New Jersey remained.
