Texas teen wins Scripps Spelling Bee with word you probably can't pronounce
FILE-Faizan Zakicelebrates after being named the winner of the 100th 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on May 29, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Michael A. McCoy for The Washington Post via G
A 13-year-old took home the crown as Scripps Spelling Bee champion and did it in dramatic fashion spelling one of the competition's challenging words.
Faizan Zaki's winning word was éclaircissement, but the teen from Allen, Texas didn't ask a single question before spelling it correctly, and he pumped his fists and collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter on Thursday night, the Associated Press reported.
What is éclaircissement?
Dig deeper:
Eclaircissement means a clearing up of something obscure, according to Merriam-Webster.com.
Who is Faizan Zaki?
The backstory:
Faizan has been spelling for most of his life. He competed in the 2019 bee as a 7-year-old, getting in through a wild-card program. He qualified again in 2023 and made the semifinals.
The Associated Press reported that the winner’s haul of $52,500 added to his second-place prize of $25,000, Faizan boosted his bee earnings to $77,500.
Faizan finished in second place in 2024 after he lost in a lightning-round tiebreaker. The teen beat eight other accomplished spellers to win the title on Thursday night.
According to his bio on the spelling competition’s website, when Faizn isn’t studying, he enjoys playing video games, talking to friends, speed-solving the Rubik's cube, learning new languages, and playing the viola, FOX 4 in Dallas reported.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press and FOX 4 Dallas. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.