Scripps National Spelling Bee: Faizan Zaki, 13-year-old prodigy from Texas, wins despite blunder
Faizan Zaki nearly threw away his chance to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest when he misspelled a word out of sheer overconfidence. He, however, bounced back to secure the top position.
The 13-year-old prodigy Faizan Zaki won the latest installment of the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest despite nearly throwing away the chance because of a careless error. He outlasted eight accomplished spellers to achieve the feat and bag a cash prize of $52,500. Interestingly, two of them actually got a second chance in the contest because of Faizan¡¯s blunder.
Faizan Zaki wins Scripps National Spelling Bee despite a scare
Faizan Zaki, a teenager from Texas, got an opportunity to shut out the competition when Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane misspelled their words. He, however, failed to seize the chance as he misspelled the word ¡®commelina¡¯. This allowed Sarvadnya and Sarv to return to the stage.
? Faizan Zaki is your 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion!
¡ª Scripps News (@scrippsnews) May 30, 2025
The 13-year-old, who was last year¡¯s runner-up, took home the Scripps Cup after correctly spelling ¨¦claircissement ¡ª outspelling more than 240 students from across the country.
? Congrats to Faizan.¡ pic.twitter.com/KhLwjjkcb0
However, luckily for Faizan, both of them misspelled their words. Post this, the teenager stayed calm and ensured that his competitors did not get another chance to return to the microphone. He took home the prize by spelling ' ¨¦claircissement' in one go.
With this, he took home a cash prize of $52,500. He had previously taken home $25,000 for securing second place in the competition. His total earnings from the competition are $77,500.
About Scripps National Spelling Bee
Scripps National Spelling Bee wads first held in 1925 and has emerged as a major attraction since. It is backed by Scripps, a media company. This year¡¯s contest marked the last time it was held at a convention center just outside Washington on the banks of the Potomac River, which has been its home for 14 years. Next year, it will be held at Constitution Hall, a nearly century-old concert venue near the White House.
Roktim Rajpal is a Principal Digital Content Producer at Indiatimes. He has been an entertainment journalist for a decade. Roktim is a movie buff and specialises in covering South cinema and Bollywood. He also takes a keen interest in web series.
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