WASHINGTON: Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, has become the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion, taking home more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.
Zaki defeated eight other finalists to claim the prize. He was last year’s runner-up and a favourite going into the competition.
He won the championship after spelling the word “éclaircissement” correctly, which means the clearing up of something obscure.
Zaki spelled the word without asking any clarifying questions. “I’m really happy,” Zaki said after his victory.
“It’s rare to see this level of late-round drama at the Spelling Bee,” said Paul Loeffler, the Bee’s television analyst.
This year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee began with 243 young spellers, ages 11 to 14, who advanced from local and regional competitions across the United States.
The 100th Champion in @ScrippsBee history, Faizan Zaki 🐝
In his fourth time competing at Scripps, Faizan broke through in the championship round spelling éclaircissement to bring home the trophy🏆
Congrats Faizan, well deserved🙌#DallasBIGWins pic.twitter.com/q0CLqmBESJ
— Dallas Sports Commission (@dallas_sports) May 30, 2025
The event took place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, just outside Washington, D.C.
Since its inception in 1925, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has crowned 110 champions—a number that includes multiple winners in recent years, such as the historic eight-way tie in 2019.
