Faizan Zaki flirted with disaster on his way to spelling glory, nearly blowing his shot at redemption in the Scripps National Spelling Bee due to a jaw-dropping moment of overconfidence. But when fate handed him a second chance, he snatched the spotlight and the title of top speller in the English language.
The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who had heartbreakingly finished as runner-up in a lightning-round tiebreaker just a year ago, triumphed Thursday night by outlasting eight other elite competitors. Among them were two spellers who got back into the game only because of Faizan’s own careless blunder.
When handed his final word—“éclaircissement”—he was told to breathe deep. He didn’t pause to ask a single question. He spelled it straight through with confidence, then pumped his fists and collapsed to the stage, overwhelmed after nailing the last letter.
But just two rounds earlier, he’d almost thrown it all away. When Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane faltered, the path to victory was wide open. Faizan, however, got cocky with the word “commelina.”
“K-A-M…” he began—then froze. “OK, let me do this. Oh, shoot!”
He turned to head judge Mary Brooks and said, “Just ring the bell.” She did.
Brooks, with a knowing smile, reminded him, “So now you know what happens,” and brought the other two spellers back into the mix.
Upon returning, Sarv exclaimed, “This is surprising!” But he stumbled again. In the following round, so did Sarvadnya. This time, Faizan held his nerve, shutting the door on both and securing the crown.
It was a dramatic finish for a competition that began way back in 1925 and still shines bright. Scripps, the Cincinnati-based media company, celebrated the event’s centennial with dozens of past champions in attendance. The bee was born from a challenge by the Louisville Courier-Journal, which invited other papers to host spelling contests and send their best to Washington.
Last year, Faizan had lost to Bruhat Soma in the intense “spell-off” finale. Now, he becomes only the fifth runner-up ever to come back and win, and the first since Sean Conley in 2001.
With a grand prize of $52,500 added to his previous $25,000 second-place winnings, Faizan has now earned a whopping $77,500 through the bee. His big splurge last year? A $1,500 Rubik’s cube—with 21 squares on each side.
This marks the final year the competition takes place at its longtime venue near Washington, beside the Potomac River. In 2026, the bee will move back to the heart of the capital—Constitution Hall, a historic venue just a stone’s throw from the White House.