Scripps National Spelling Bee Winning Words: Every Champion Since 2000

Every Scripps National Spelling Bee winning word and champion from 2000 to 2026, including the 2019 octochamps, plus what the winning words teach about studying.

Published · 3 min read
Scripps National Spelling Bee Winning Words: Every Champion Since 2000

Key takeaways

  • The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee was won by Shrey Parikh with the word bromocriptine, after a spell-off.
  • Most winning words come from Greek, Latin, French or German, or from science and medicine.
  • 2019 had eight co-champions, and there was no bee in 2020.
  • Learning word origins helps far more than memorizing single words.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the biggest spelling competition in the United States, and its final words are famously hard. Here is every winning word since 2000, and what they tell you about how to study.

The short answer

The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee winning word was bromocriptine, spelled by Shrey Parikh after a spell-off. The 2025 winning word was éclaircissement, spelled by Faizan Zaki. Most winning words come from other languages or from science, which is why top spellers study word origins rather than lists alone.

Winning words, 2000 to 2026

Year Champion Winning word
2026 Shrey Parikh bromocriptine
2025 Faizan Zaki éclaircissement
2024 Bruhat Soma abseil
2023 Dev Shah psammophile
2022 Harini Logan moorhen
2021 Zaila Avant-garde murraya
2020 No bee (canceled) —
2019 Eight co-champions see below
2018 Karthik Nemmani koinonia
2017 Ananya Vinay marocain
2016 Jairam Hathwar and Nihar Saireddy Janga Feldenkrais, gesellschaft
2015 Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam scherenschnitte, nunatak
2014 Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe stichomythia, feuilleton
2013 Arvind Mahankali knaidel
2012 Snigdha Nandipati guetapens
2011 Sukanya Roy cymotrichous
2010 Anamika Veeramani stromuhr
2009 Kavya Shivashankar Laodicean
2008 Sameer Mishra guerdon
2007 Evan O’Dorney serrefine
2006 Kerry Close Ursprache
2005 Anurag Kashyap appoggiatura
2004 David Tidmarsh autochthonous
2003 Sai Gunturi pococurante
2002 Pratyush Buddiga prospicience
2001 Sean Conley succedaneum
2000 George Thampy demarche

The 2019 octochamps

In 2019, eight spellers were still standing when the bee ran out of championship-level words, so all eight shared the title. Their final words were:

  • auslaut (Rishik Gandhasri)
  • erysipelas (Erin Howard)
  • bougainvillea (Saketh Sundar)
  • aiguillette (Shruthika Padhy)
  • pendeloque (Sohum Sukhatankar)
  • palama (Abhijay Kodali)
  • cernuous (Christopher Serrao)
  • odylic (Rohan Raja)

After 2019, Scripps added a timed spell-off as a tiebreaker. That’s how the 2026 bee was decided.

What the winning words have in common

Look down the list and a few patterns jump out:

  • Borrowed words. French (feuilleton, marocain, éclaircissement), German (gesellschaft, Ursprache, scherenschnitte), Italian (appoggiatura) and Yiddish (knaidel).
  • Greek and Latin roots. Autochthonous, stichomythia, psammophile and koinonia all follow Greek spelling rules.
  • Science words. Cymotrichous, murraya, bromocriptine and stromuhr come from biology, botany, medicine and physiology.
  • Short doesn’t mean easy. Abseil and moorhen won with just six and seven letters.

How to use this list to study

  1. Learn the language patterns. Greek words often use ph, ch and y; French words often end in -eur, -ette or -ment. Knowing the origin lets you spell words you’ve never seen.
  2. Always ask for the origin. In a spelling bee you may ask for the language of origin, the definition and a sentence. Use them.
  3. Study roots, not just words. Psammo- means sand and -phile means lover of, so psammophile stops being random.
  4. Build up in stages. Start with our spelling bee words with meanings, then work through the free Spell Bee Free Word Book.
  5. Know the competition rules. Read how a spell bee competition works so nothing on stage surprises you.

Keep vocabulary practice fun

Champion-level study is hard work. A quick round of the honeycomb game is a good way to keep words fresh between study sessions. Play Spelling Bee unlimited or try the daily puzzle.

Spell Bee Free is not affiliated with Scripps or the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Winning words are listed for study purposes.

Frequently asked questions

What was the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee winning word?

Bromocriptine. Shrey Parikh, 14, of California, won the 2026 bee after a spell-off.

What was the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee winning word?

Éclaircissement, spelled by Faizan Zaki.

Why were there eight winners in 2019?

In 2019 eight spellers outlasted the word list Scripps had prepared for the final rounds, so all eight were named co-champions. They are often called the octochamps.

Was there a Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2020?

No. The 2020 bee was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Put it into practiceTry these ideas on a fresh hive. Unlimited puzzles, no login.
Play a new puzzle

scripps national spelling beewinning wordsspell bee competitionspelling bee champions

Written by Editor, Spell Bee Free

Richard Elson edits Spell Bee Free and writes its strategy guides. He plays the daily Spelling Bee every morning, tests every guide against real puzzles from the site's answer archive, and keeps the word list and solver up to date. His guides are written for everyday players: clear rules, worked examples and habits that get you to Genius without spoiling the fun.

Spelling Bee strategyWord patternsDaily puzzle analysis

Keep reading