Salt Lake County resident competes at Scripps National Spelling Bee

When Ray Mishra first took the stage at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, he wasn’t stressed, but as he moved into the quarterfinal rounds, he said it became “a little bit nerve-wracking.”

In March, the 11-year-old won the 2026 Wasatch Front Regional Spelling Bee, sponsored by the City Journals community newspaper. That win qualified Ray to compete at the national event and he traveled with his parents to Washington, D.C. at the end of May.

After six rounds, which included two spelling words, two definitions and a spelling test, Ray misspelled “klinotaxis” and finished tied for 55th. 

“It was a little bit of disappointment. I didn’t make it to the semifinals. It was the final round of quarterfinals,” he said. “I didn’t focus very much on New Latin, and ‘klinotaxis’ is a New Latin word.” 

The 2026 Wasatch Front Regional Spelling Bee winner, Ray Mishra, made it through six rounds at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee. (Photo courtesy of Santi Mishra)

For the first time, the Scripps National Spelling Bee was held at DAR Constitution Hall in downtown Washington, D.C. The event featured 247 spellers from across the world in the week-long competition, which included tours, workshops and the Bee Week Bash.

“The Bee Week Bash was my favorite,” Ray said. “We got to go to the Smithsonian National Museum of History, but it was also a party that had some nice food, snacks, music, and if you ever got bored, you could just go and walk around the museum.”

Ray, a South Salt Lake resident, stayed focused and grounded by studying words and reading “Words of Wisdom: Keys to Success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee” written by former Bee contestant Scott B. Remer. The book offered spelling strategies, competition tips and word lists organized by language root and origin. 

Not only is Ray a champion speller, but he also loves to hike, bike, study science and practice karate. Ray will attend sixth grade at Evergreen Junior High in Millcreek this fall. He hopes the school participates in the regional Bee so he can try to earn another spot in the national competition. 

Ray’s father, Santi Mishra, is proud of what his son accomplished. He said it was stressful watching him participate at the national level but he loved that Ray had the opportunity to compete.

“It was a great achievement for him to be there. He was so close to the semifinals,” Mishra said. “He did really great. He’s already started preparing for next year, trying to learn new words and finding different sources.”

Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old from California, won the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, following a spell-off, only the third in the Bee’s history. Shrey set a new spell-off record by spelling 32 words before winning the Bee and $50,000 with the word “bromocriptine.”

Ray received a commemorative pin, a certificate, a $100 gift card, a prize package full of Bee souvenirs and subscriptions, and tickets to the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.

“We were excited to watch Ray compete at the national Bee,” said City Journals Publisher Bryan Scott. “It’s essential that we celebrate academic accomplishments. It’s important to me that we give students like Ray a chance to shine on the national stage. We’re very proud of him and hope he competes at the regional Bee next spring.”