98th Scripps National Spelling Bee

98th Scripps National Spelling Bee
{
DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.
DateMay 26–28, 2026
LocationDAR Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.
WinnerShrey Parikh
ResidenceRancho Cucamonga, California
SponsorSan Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
Sponsor locationSan Bernardino, California
Winning wordbromocriptine (spell-off)
No. of contestants247
Preceded by97th Scripps National Spelling Bee
Followed by99th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 98th Scripps National Spelling Bee was a spelling bee competition being held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. out of a desire to bring the bee back to D.C. proper after being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, from 2011 to 2025.[1][2] This bee marked the first time DAR Constitution Hall served as the venue in the 101-year history of the bee.[3]

The 2026 bee welcomed 247 spellers from the United States and its territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the nations of The Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.[3] Spellers arrived to register on Sunday, May 24, 2026, competed from May 26-May 28, and closed out the week with a "Bee Week Bash" celebration at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on Friday, May 29, before returning home.[1]

Background

The Scripps National Spelling Bee begins with regional and school-level spelling bees for students in grades 8 and under. The national competition features preliminary, quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds. The winner receives a $50,000 cash prize, a commemorative medal, and the Scripps Cup.[3] The winner also received a free trip to the Universal Studios Orlando Resort.[4]

Competition

The Bee Week Experience

Bee Week allows spellers to build community and camaraderie, as well as to engage with friends met at other spelling bees.[5]

Spellers expressed mixed reactions to the venue change from the Gaylord National Resort to the DAR Constitution Hall, some citing crowded spaces, lack of dining options, and the inconvenience of no longer competing at the same place they lodge; others expressing excitement at being close to sights such as the National Mall.[6] The bee coincided with the start of construction for UFC Freedom 250, which closed off The Ellipse, the most direct route between the hotel and the hall.[6]

Format

The bee format is as follows:[1]
On Tuesday, May 26, the preliminary rounds began: round 1 was a spelling round sourced from the "2026 Words of Champions" guide; round 2 was a vocabulary round also sourced from "2026 Words of Champions"; round 3 was a written test sourced from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, which was also the source for all subsequent rounds.
On Wednesday, May 27, the bee had its quarterfinals: round 4, spelling; round 5, vocabulary; round 6 onward, spelling. The semifinals ran after a break, and they started with a spelling round, then a vocabulary round, and spelling rounds afterward.
On Thursday, May 28, the finals ran using the same spelling round, then vocabulary round, and spelling rounds afterward. The rules allowed for a spell-off to determine the champion, as was used in the 2022 and 2024 bee finals. During this lightning-round format, each speller has 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible from the same list given to each speller.[1]

Speller Statistics

From the Bee's 2026 Media Guide,[1] speller demographics are:
Four spellers were 9 year olds; 12 were 10 year olds; 35 were 11 year olds; 43 were 12 year olds; 82 were 13 year olds; 70 were 14 year olds; and one was a 15 year old.
Two were 3rd graders; four were 4th graders; 26 were 5th graders; 44 were 6th graders; 60 were 7th graders; 111 were 8th graders.
For gender, 103 were girls; 140 were boys; one identified as non-binary; and three preferred not to answer.
Public school students were the majority at the bee with 181 attending them. Additionally, 30 attended private schools; 18 attended charter schools; nine attended home schools, and nine attended parochial schools.[1]

Francis Luya from Dededo, Guam, traveled the farthest at more than 7,000 miles to attend the bee.[1]

Twenty-four spellers had relatives who competed across 45 different competitions, seven were twins, and one pair of siblings (Priya and Ryan Sekera from Granite Bay, California) also competed.[1]

Returning Spellers

Seventy-eight of the spellers returned from previous bees, including 64 who were in the 2025 bee.[1]

Three of the 2025 Scripps Bee finalists returned: third-place finisher Sarv Dharavane[7] from Dunwoody, Georgia,[3] and both 7th-place finishers Esha Marupudi from Chandler, Arizona, and Oliver Halkett from Los Angeles, California.[3]

Four of the spellers who tied for tenth place (narrowly missing the final rounds) in 2025 also returned:
Hannah Kuo from Lucerne Valley, California [8]
Ethan Robert from New Berlin, Wisconsin[9] [10]
Zwe Spacetime from Fort Washington, Maryland[11][12]
Adarsh Venkannagari from Acton, Massachusetts [13]

Zwe, the younger brother of the 2021 champion Zaila Avant-garde, noted the significance of a potential win at the bee, stating that "[it would mean] a lot" given that “No Black boy, whether African American or non-African American...has won Scripps yet". He adds that "The part of Black History, being the brother of Zaila Avant-garde, who was the first African American, second Black girl [after Jamaica's Jody-Anne Maxwell in 1998], to win the Nationals, ... it would be, for me, the [possibility] and historical significance of my win".[11]

Two finalists from the 2024 bee returned to compete: Shrey Parikh[8] from Rancho Cucamonga, California, who placed third, and YY Liang from Hartsdale, New York, who placed seventh. Shrey reported gratitude upon returning in his final year of competition after losing his school bee in 2025 while ill, subsequently working with three coaches to prepare as best he could to potentially win in 2026.[14]

One finalist from the 2023 bee also returned: Sarah Fernandes from Omaha, Nebraska, who placed tenth.[3]

Three spellers competed in their fourth consecutive national bee: Siyona Kandala of San Antonio, Texas; Sariah Titus of Abilene, Texas; and Adarsh Venkannagari of Acton, Massachusetts.[3][13]

Broadcast

Scripps-owned Ion TV was the broadcaster of the event, which was produced by Embassy Row, a division of Sony Pictures Television. ESPN senior writer and Emmy Award-winning analyst Mina Kimes hosted the televised semifinals and finals alongside longtime analyst Paul Loeffler, a former national competitor who commemorated his 20th year as a bee analyst.[15] Paul is also the older brother of the bee's director Corrie Loeffler, herself a former bee competitor whose introduction was watching him compete at the national level.[1] Sony executive Michael Davies helped bring Kimes into the fold in an effort to reimagine the broadcast and boost the bee's ratings.[16]

Results

Preliminary Rounds

Spellers at the 98th Scripps National Spelling Bee

Two hundred forty-seven spellers started the competition,[17] with 95 qualifying as quarterfinalists.[18] Fifty-four moved onto the semifinals,[19] with nine of them qualifying for the finals:[14][20][21][22]

Speller 13. Aiden Meng, a 12-year old seventh grader representing San Ramon Valley Rotary Club of Danville, California[23]
Speller 20. Oliver Halkett, a 14-year old eighth grader representing Los Angeles County Office of Education of Los Angeles, California[24]
Speller 29. Shrey Parikh, a 14-year old eighth grader representing San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools of San Bernardino, California [25]
Speller 42. Zwe Spacetime, a 14-year old eighth grader representing The Washington Informer of Washington, D.C.[26]
Speller 56. Sarv Dharavane, a 12-year old sixth grader representing Georgia Association of Educators of Tucker, Georgia [27]
Speller 137. Ishaan Gupta, a 12-year old seventh grader representing Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development of Jersey City, New Jersey[28]
Speller 155. Kushi Gottimukkala, a 13-year old seventh grader representing Carolina Panthers of Charlotte, North Carolina[29][30]
Speller 207. Avishka Dudala, a 13-year old eighth grader representing Dallas Sports Commission of Dallas, Texas [31]
Speller 213. Logan Bailey, a 12-year old sixth grader representing Houston City College of Houston, Texas[32]

Among the 15 spellers tying for 10th place in Round 9[20] was Zachary Teoh, a third grader representing Houston City College [33] who had, as a second grader in 2025, emerged as the youngest speller ever to win the Houston-area regional competition.[34]

Spell-off

After Sarv Dharavane marked his second consecutive third-place finish,[35][36] judges implemented the bee's spell-off rules to determine the winner, using a lightning-round tiebreaker where each speller spelled as many words in a 90-second timespan as possible.[36] Shrey Parikh spelled 32 words to Ishaan Gupta's 25, and Shrey earned the Scripps Cup as a result.[36]

Shrey's final spell-off word was his winning word: bromocriptine,[37] which is "a polypeptide alkaloid that is a derivative of ergot and mimics the activity of dopamine."[38]

Shrey credited his success to multiple strategies: working with three coaches, obtaining word lists and study guides, attempting to learn every language pattern, learning as many words as possible, and competing against other spellers year-round in online bees operating outside of the Scripps competition.[14] He also took a six-month hiatus from spelling after his 2025 loss,[39] which allowed him to rededicate himself to his craft upon his return.[37]

When asked how he prepared to spell so many words so fast, Shrey remarked: “Spelling fast is what I do every day, so you know the spell-off kind of came naturally and it was just another day of spelling.”[12]

Final Rankings

1st Place:

Shrey Parikh[40]

2nd Place:

Ishaan Gupta[40]

3rd Place:

Sarv Dharavane[41][36]

4th Place:

Kushi Gottimukkala[42][43]

5th Place:

Logan Bailey[44]

6th place (tie):

Avishka Dudala[45]
Zwe Spacetime
Oliver Halkett
Aiden Meng

Championship round word list

Round 10

Round 11 (vocabulary)

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Spell-off word list

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee Media Guide". Scripps National Spelling Bee. 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  2. ↑ "DAR Headquarters to Serve as New Host Venue for Scripps National Spelling Bee". Daughters of the American Revolution. May 22, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Scripps National Spelling Bee welcomes 247 spellers as it returns to Washington, D.C." Scripps. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ Scottie Andrew (May 28, 2026). "Meet the winner of the National Spelling Bee". CNN. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  5. ↑ Scott Remer (May 26, 2026). "The camaraderie of the National Spelling Bee is a reminder of the beauty of community". The Guardian. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Ben Nuckols (May 26, 2026). "Venue gets mixed reviews as National Spelling Bee returns to DC ahead of White House UFC event". Associated Press. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Back to Back to Back: DeKalb County Spelling Bee Champ wins again". WSB-TV. March 28, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Jocelyn Fiset (March 14, 2026). "Two San Bernardino County students heading back to Scripps National Spelling Bee". KTLA. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  9. ↑ Anna Hansen (March 22, 2026). "2 Wisconsin spellers headed to the national bee". Madison.com. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  10. ↑ Corrinne Hess (May 25, 2026). "E-x-c-i-t-i-n-g: 2 Wisconsin students heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Jada Ingleton (March 18, 2026). "Déjà Win for Zwe Spacetime, Returning to Scripps National Spelling Bee". The Washington Informer. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Scripps National Spelling Bee 2026 live updates: words, definitions, finals". The Washington Post. May 28, 2026. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Deyscha Smith (March 17, 2026). "Seventh-grader wins spelling bee fourth year in a row". Itemlive. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 Ben Nuckols (May 27, 2026). "Many National Spelling Bee contenders pursue mastery. For a few, it's more about memorization". Associated Press. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  15. ↑ Ben Nuckols (May 5, 2026). "Mina Kimes takes over as Scripps National Spelling Bee host as part of reimagined broadcast". WTOP News. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ Emma Neff (May 27, 2026). "Why ESPN's Mina Kimes says the National Spelling Bee is like the Super Bowl". Deseret News. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Round 1 Results". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  18. ↑ "South Texas Student Advances To Quarterfinals Of National Spelling Bee". KURV. May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Round 6 Results". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Round 9 Results". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Meet the Finalists". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  22. ↑ Michelle Del Rey (May 27, 2026). "Scripps National Spelling Bee finalists 2026". USA Today. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  30. ↑ T. Keung Hui (May 27, 2026). "Meet the NC student who will compete in finals of Scripps National Spelling Bee". The News & Observer. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Speller Summary". Scripps National Spelling Bee. May 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  34. ↑ Claire Partain (April 13, 2025). "HISD student advances in national spelling bee". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  35. ↑ Cathy Cobbs (May 28, 2026). "Dunwoody's Dharavane repeats third place finish at Scripps National Spelling Bee". Rough Draft Atlanta. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  36. 1 2 3 4 Ben Nuckols (May 28, 2026). "Shrey Parikh wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee, beating Ishaan Gupta in lightning round". Associated Press. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  37. 1 2 Ben Nuckols (May 28, 2026). "Shrey Parikh bounces back, battles nerves and dominates spell-off to win the National Spelling Bee". Associated Press. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  38. ↑ Michelle Del Rey (May 28, 2026). "Shrey Parikh crowned winner of 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  39. ↑ Scottie Andrew (May 27, 2026). "Final flurry of words wins National Spelling Bee for Shrey Parikh". CNN. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  40. 1 2 Bearak, Max (2026-05-28). "Scripps Spelling Bee 2026 Live Updates: Shrey Parikh Wins After Tense Spell-Off". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  41. ↑ "2026 Round Results - Round 17 | Scripps National Spelling Bee". spellingbee.com. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  42. ↑ "2026 Round Results - Round 15 | Scripps National Spelling Bee". spellingbee.com. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  43. ↑ T. Keung Hui (May 28, 2026). "NC student reaches finals of Scripps National Spelling Bee". News & Observer. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  44. ↑ "2026 Round Results - Round 14 | Scripps National Spelling Bee". spellingbee.com. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  45. ↑ "2026 Round Results - Round 12 | Scripps National Spelling Bee". spellingbee.com. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
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