Faizan Zaki defeated eight other competitors to win the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, taking home over $50,000 in cash and prizes.
Faizan, a thirteen-year-old from Allen, Texas, finished second in the previous year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee and was favored to win this year.
The competition came down to Sarv Dharavane, 11, Sarvadnya Kadam, 14, and Faizan in the closing minutes. But each of the three finalists spelled their words incorrectly, forcing them to compete again.
“I can’t remember the last time we’ve seen this kind of late-round drama here at the spelling bee,” according to Paul Loeffler, the Bee’s TV analyst.
Sarvadnya and Faizan were the final two standing after another round. Faizan won the Bee by correctly spelling the noun éclaircissement, which means “clearing up of something obscure.”
Without a single query, Faizan was able to spell the word perfectly. With excitement in his voice, he finished the final few letters of the word, pumped his hands, and fell to the ground.
Following the event, Faizan declared, “I’m really happy,”
One hundred years ago, in 1925, the inaugural National Spelling Bee was held. But because of an eight-way tie in 2019 and multiple two-way ties, Thursday’s winner became the 110th champion.
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On Thursday, the last night of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, nine youngsters, ranging in age from 11 to 14, competed. After progressing through local and regional bees, 243 young spellers qualified for the competition.
The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., hosted the competition. The contest will return to Constitution Hall in the nation’s capital in 2026.
