Zaki earned the prestigious title in round 21 when he correctly spelt “éclaircissement,” which is defined as “the clearing up of something obscure: enlightenment.” He outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title on Thursday night

New York: Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Indian-American student from Texas, has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee after he spelt “éclaircissement” correctly, maintaining the dominance of the children from the community in the prestigious US competition.

Zaki bested Sarvadnya Kadam to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night. A 7th-grade student at CM Rice Middle School, Zaki finished second in 2024 in a spell-off to another Indian-American Bruhat Soma. This was Zaki’s fourth time participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. This was Zaki’s fourth time participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Zaki earned the prestigious title in round 21 when he correctly spelt “éclaircissement,” which is defined as “the clearing up of something obscure: enlightenment.” He outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title on Thursday night.

The culmination of the national championship came with a shock.

Zaki had an earlier chance to win this year’s bee, in the eighteenth round, after mistakes by two other finalists. In what could have been the last round, when there were three left, Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane got their words wrong.

It seemed to be Zaki’s big chance. But he rushed to spell his word before a proper explanation and got the first letter wrong. Hardly before the word “commelina” had left the pronouncer’s mouth, Zaki jumped on it, saying, “k-a-m ——” He recognised his mistake right away, but it was too late.

As he spelt the winning word, Zaki fell on the stage in joy as confetti rained down. “I don’t know what to say. I’m just really happy,” he said.

Organisers congratulated Zaki’s parents and his grandparents, who were watching the competition from their home in Hyderabad.

“I can’t describe it,” Zaki said minutes later. “It’s so amazing, getting to this point. Winning? I never expected this.” Adam Symson, president and CEO of the E W Scripps Company, presented the championship trophy. “Faizan exemplified the determination that defines a champion,” said Symson.

His unwavering focus and preparation led to a well-earned victory tonight on the Bee’s largest stage, he said.

“In this landmark 100th year of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Scripps is honoured to celebrate Faizan’s extraordinary achievement as well as the spellers throughout the Bee’s history who continue to inspire millions,” he said.

“Their stories remind us of the shared joy in cheering for their success, reinforcing the Bee’s legacy as a beloved tradition that, for a century, has championed connection, resilience and the limitless potential of young minds,” Symson said.

The first Spelling Bee competition was held in 1925 in Washington, DC, and only nine kids participated, according to Scripps. This year, more than 200 students competed.

Zaki is only the fifth speller in Bee history to win after coming in second place the year before. He tied for 21st place in 2023 and 370th place in 2019.

Zaki will take home US$ 50,000, a medal and a trophy. He will receive a US$ 2,500 prize and a reference library from the Bee’s dictionary partner Merriam-Webster.

Kadam of Visalia, California, placed second in the competition and will receive US$ 25,000. Dharavane of Dunwoody, Georgia, will receive US$ 15,000.

Thirty of the past 36 champions, including Zaki, of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been Indian American. Nupur Lala was the first Indian-American to win the competition in 1999. PTI