Indian-American Faizan Zaki overcomes shocking, self-inflicted flub to win Scripps National Spelling Bee

Faizan Zaki won the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee after spelling the French word “éclaircissement” correctly. The 13-year-old took home the coveted Scripps Cup along with $50,000 in cash and a commemorative medal as he bested over 240 contestants from across the country Thursday night. The young Indian-American “loves words,” according to his mother, Arshia Quadri.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND - MAY 29: Faizan Zaki, 13, of Dallas, Texas spells his word in the finals of the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on May 29, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland. 243 spellers from all over the globe ages 8 to 14 competed from May 27 to May 30, 2025 and were narrowed down to 9 finalists during the 100th anniversary of the bee. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)

Zaki, a seventh-grade student at C.M. Rice Middle School in Dallas, Texas, began his competitive spelling journey in 2019 when he was just 7 years old. In an interview with ABC Action News at the time, his parents, Quadri and Zaki Anwar, revealed that his interest in complex words began as a family activity.