Updated on: May 28, 2026 / 11:59 PM EDT / CBS/AP

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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.

Shrey spelled 32 words correctly, while Ishaan spelled 25.

The spell-off moves so fast that it's impossible to tell which word secures the title. But Scripps later announced that the winner was "bromocriptine," a polypeptide alkaloid that mimics the activity of dopamine.

Speller Shrey Parikh, 14, holds a trophy and celebrates with family after winning the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee at Constitution Hall on May 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C.…