OXON HILL, Md. — In 2024, Faizan Zaki came up short in the spell-off.
That wasn’t going to happen again. Because he made sure there was no spell-off. But he also didn’t make it easy on himself.
Zaki bested Sarvadnya Kadam in the 20th round to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night. He sealed the deal by nailing éclaircissement, running out of breath and collapsing to the floor as confetti fell on him and the crowd erupted.
“I can’t describe it,” Zaki said minutes later. “It’s so amazing, getting to this point. Winning? I never expected this.”
Last year, Zaki lost to Bruhat Soma in the spell-off and became just the fifth runner-up to later win the Bee.
“Obviously, I was really disappointed. But then I just had that sudden drive to keep studying,” Zaki said. “So that’s what motivated me to do better. And now I’m here. I have the trophy.”
The Allen, Texas, native had a chance to hoist the Scripps Cup after the 18th round before one of the more dramatic Bee scenes in some time ensued. Kadam and Sarv Dharavane misspelled their words before Zaki stepped to the mic.
But he rushed and didn’t pay attention to head pronouncer Dr. Jacques Bailly’s version of “commelina” – Zaki started with a “k” for the word he thought he’d heard – and judge Mary Brooks’ bell rang .
“He gave us a brief heart attack,” Arshia Quadri, Zaki’s mother, told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s him. It doesn’t surprise me that he did that.”
Zaki – sponsored by the Dallas Sports Commission – signaled to the crowd with a thumbs-up. He had everything under control.
And after finishing second the year prior, the moment still felt elusive.
“I know he’s put in the work,” Quadri said. “Still, it feels surreal.”
Finishing as the runner-up last year was “a little bit of a disappointment” for her son, Quadri added. “But we were really excited,” she said. “Even a runner-up is pretty amazing, and we had not gone in expecting that.”
Still, Quadri never envisioned him holding the trophy “even though he is good.” Call it a mother’s anti-jinx.
As the competition entered the top-three stage (the night began with nine finalists of 243 who made the trip to a convention center outside Washington D.C.), Zaki said he had no nerves.
But he was tired, and that contributed to his slip-up in the 18th that allowed his last two counterparts a chance to re-enter the competition.
“I think the reason I did that was I wanted to go back to my hotel room or go to my friends to say hi,” he said while standing next to the Scripps Cup.
The next week for Zaki will include plenty of time in front of the camera. On Friday, he’ll be on nearly every major network morning show and their streaming complements. He also has time lined up with “Inside Edition” and CNN. “LIVE with Kelly and Mark” is on Monday, and he’s ringing the NASDAQ closing bell that evening.
Dharavane, a fifth-grader who is 11, finished third and won over the crowd with his cool, upbeat demeanor at the microphone.
Throughout the three days of competition outside of the nation’s capital, Zaki kept his hands in the pocket of his black Aeropostale hoodie. His long, dark brown hair flowed between his pupils and his eyeglasses. The back-and-forth hand gesture with each letter made another appearance on stage, where he confidently stated his answers, although he still asked pertinent questions and went through his process.
Zaki came in as the favorite but would never say it.
“I didn’t want to get too cocky, obviously,” he said. “Now I’m just glad to say that I’ve fulfilled those expectations, and even went beyond them.”
Zaki would have one more year of eligibility had he not won it all in 2025. Now, he might join Math Olympiad since he enjoys that subject. He’s passionate about linguistics and might enter a competition in that field.
“I’ll have to think over summer what to do,” Zaki said. “I’ll definitely make sure to get some new hobbies, since spelling’s over.”
But for one night in May, redemption was spelled “F-A-I-Z-A-N.”
(This story was updated to include video.)