Ray Mishra, an 11-year-old fifth grader from Salt Lake City, tied for 55th place at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee after competing against a field of 247 national competitors.
Diverse Global Competition Field
The Scripps National Spelling Bee competition included students representing all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense Schools in Europe. The field also featured participants from five countries outside the United States: Canada, The Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.
Successful Rounds and Vocabulary Format
During the competition, Mishra successfully navigated several rounds, including correctly spelling words such as telamon and anxiogenic. The Bee's 2026 format included vocabulary rounds in each segment of the competition—Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals—where spellers were required to select the correct multiple-choice answer to a vocabulary question.
Tournament Structure and Winning Procedures
The tournament structure was designed to determine a winner for the Scripps Cup through four distinct segments. While the competition traditionally concludes when a single speller spells a word correctly in a one-person, one-word round, officials maintain the option to activate a 'Spell-off' to declare a champion.
