Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old of Hyderabad origin, was the champion of the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee. He bested more than 240 of the nation’s best young spellers to earn his championship title. He spelt ‘éclaircissement’ correctly in a nail-biting match with co-finalist Sarvadnya Kadam and took home a $50,000 award.
Faizan Zaki was formally declared the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. The 13-year-old won the competition in a heart-pumping 20th round, beating out fellow finalist Sarvadnya Kadam. His champion word? Éclaircissement. When he spelt it right, Faizan gasped for air, fell to the ground, and let the confetti drop as the audience went wild.
Along with hoisting the prized Scripps Cup, Faizan is also awarded a $50,000 cash award and a keepsake medal. He outspelled more than 240 of the nation’s best young spellers to claim his title of champion. But who is Faizan Zaki? How did he train for one of the most challenging spelling phases in the nation? And more widely, why do Indian-American students persist in excelling year after year at this esteemed competition?
Faizan Zaki is familiar with the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage. A seventh-grader at Dallas’s CM Rice Middle School, he has been preparing for this moment his whole life, since he started his spelling career when he was 7 years old.
Earlier in 2019, he competed for the first time as one of the youngest competitors in bee history, ranking in 370th place. By 2023, he had risen to 21st. And last year, he was heartbreaking close to taking the title, finishing up runner-up after a spell-out dramatic showdown.
