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NDTV
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
This Is The Word That Won 13-Year-Old Faizan Zaki The US Spelling Bee
A 13-year-old Indian-American boy won the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word "eclaircissement". Faizan Zaki, who was last year's runner-up, sealed his victory on May 29 by confidently spelling the challenging word without hesitation, then celebrated by pumping his fists and collapsing on stage as confetti fell. The winning word "eclaircissement" is pronounced ek-lehr-see-sma and was described by Faizan as instantly recognisable. The word, of French origin, means "clarification" or "enlightenment," commonly used to indicate the clearing up of confusion. Faizan Zaki took home $52,500 (almost Rs 45 lakh) in prize money, adding to the $25,000 (over Rs 21.3 lakh) he won as runner-up last year. He plans to donate a large part of his winnings to charity. This win was a remarkable comeback for Faizan. In 2024, Faizan had an almost flawless run during the conventional rounds, never misspelling a word. He lost in the tiebreaker round, a fast-paced "spell-off" where contestants spell as many words as possible in 90 seconds. That year, Faizan Khan spelled 20 words correctly but was edged out by Bruhat Soma, who spelled 29 words correctly. The 2025 finals featured nine talented spellers, including Faizan, 11-year-old Sarv Dharavane from Georgia, and 14-year-old Sarvadnya Kadam from California. As the contest narrowed to the final three, Mr Kadam and Mr Dharavane missed their words consecutively, putting Faizan just two words away from victory. Faizan stumbled briefly on the word "commelina", which he ultimately corrected. Faizan's victory adds to the long-standing success of Indian-American spellers in the Bee, with 30 of the last 36 champions from this community. The legacy began with Nupur Lala in 1999. The Scripps National Spelling Bee celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and introduced new rules to reduce early tiebreakers, allowing a longer, more competitive final round. Faizan Zaki has been spelling for most of his life. He first competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019 when he was just 7 years old, getting in through a wild-card programme that no longer exists. He came back in 2023 and reached the semifinals, then finished as runner-up in 2024. Faizan says his love for words and constant enthusiasm have driven his success. He also credits his three coaches - Scott Remer, Sam Evans, and Sohum Sukhantankar.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
NDTV Asked Indian-Origin Spelling Bee Champion To Spell 4 Words. His Response
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Indian-American from Texas, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee by spelling "éclaircissement." He praised his supportive parents and shared his journey, emphasising perseverance and motivation for aspiring competitors. New Delhi: 'P-E-R-S-P-I-C-A-C-I-O-U-S'. 'S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E'. 'C-A-C-O-P-H-O-N-Y'. 'G-A-R-R-U-L-O-U-S'. Faizan Zaki, an Indian-American student from Texas who recently won the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship, spelled these words effortlessly. Playing a short spelling bee on NDTV, all it took Faizan was to hear the word, understand the meaning, and spell it out. Perspicacious means having a keen understanding of something, schadenfreude means taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune, cacophony means a harsh discordant sound, and garrulous means someone who is very talkative. The 13-year-old champion who took home over Rs 40,00,000, a medal, and a trophy after winning the National Spelling Bee championship, told NDTV that the moment was overwhelming for him. "I was just relieved that I got my word right. At the end, when I finished my word, you could hear me gasping for air. It was a really great moment," he said. Faizan had started participating in spelling bee competitions since his first grade. "I started in my first grade, where I did my school spelling bee, and luckily, I won. So I decided that spelling bees are a great thing, and I wanted to do it, so I kept working harder and harder. I had my ups and downs. But finally it culminated in this, where I won," he said. He also praised his parents for the constant support. "My parents, other than helping me with spelling itself, were also really supportive. They were really there for me when I was unmotivated and when I didn't want to study. They kept pushing me, and they taught me how to persevere through that. So all my credit goes to them," he said. The spelling bee champion added, "When my parents first came to the US from India, they basically had no idea what they were doing, and they were struggling. It makes me sad, so I want to give back to the community." Faizan gave a piece of advice to other students who are participating in such competitions. "My biggest piece of advice is stay motivated because that's what I did when I got second place last year and I kept studying harder and harder - then finally I won," he said. The word that won Faizan Zaki championship Faizan Zaki, a seventh-grade student at CM Rice Middle School in Texas, seemed to have a good chance at winning a few minutes before the culmination of the championship. But he rushed to spell his word before a proper explanation and got the first letter wrong in one of the rounds. Hardly before the word "commelina" had left the pronouncer's mouth, Faizan said: 'K-A-M-" He recognised his mistake right away. In the last round, it came down to Faizan and Sarvadnya Kadam. The last word that Faizan spelled correctly was 'eclaircissement' - which is defined as "the clearing up of something obscure: enlightenment." He bested Sarvadnya to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night. Seconds after spelling the word correctly, confetti rained down on Faizan. Organisers also congratulated Faizan's parents and his grandparents, who were watching the competition from their home in Hyderabad. This was Faizan's fourth time participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Last year, he won second place. He is the only fifth speller in Bee history to win after coming in second place the year before. He tied for 21st place in 2023 and 370th place in 2019. 30 of the past 36 champions, including Faizan, of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been Indian American.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
First Thing: Trump wins temporary reprieve as he fights against court block on tariffs
Good morning. The Trump administration is racing to halt a major blow to its sweeping tariffs after a US court ruled they 'exceed any authority granted to the president'. A US trade court ruled on Wednesday that Donald Trump's tariffs regime was illegal, in a dramatic twist that could block his controversial global trade policy. On Thursday, an appeals court agreed to a temporary pause on the decision pending an appeal hearing. The Trump administration is expected to take the case to the supreme court if it loses. On what basis did the judges rule the tariffs unlawful? The court's ruling stated that Trump's tariff orders 'exceed any authority granted to the president … to regulate importation by means of tariffs'. How are tariffs usually approved? Tariffs typically need to be approved by Congress but Trump has so far bypassed that requirement by claiming that the country's trade deficits amount to a national emergency. The carbon footprint of the first 15 months of Israel's war on Gaza will be greater than the annual planet-warming emissions of 100 individual countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency on top of the huge civilian death toll, research reveals. A study shared exclusively with the Guardian found the long-term climate cost of destroying, clearing and rebuilding Gaza could top 31m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This is more than the combined 2023 annual greenhouse gases emitted by Costa Rica and Estonia, for example. There is no obligation for states to report military emissions to the UN climate body. What about Hamas? Hamas bunker fuel and rockets account for about 3,000 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of just 0.2% of the total direct conflict emissions, while 50% were generated by the supply and use of weapons, tanks and other ordnance by the Israeli military, the study found. Faizan Zaki's enthusiasm for spelling nearly got the better of him. Ultimately, his joyful approach made him the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. The favorite entering the bee after his runner-up finish last year – during which he never misspelled a word in a conventional spelling round, only to lose a lightning-round tiebreaker that he didn't practice for – the shaggy-haired Faizan wore the burden of expectations lightly, sauntering to the microphone in a black hoodie and spelling his words with casual glee. Throughout last night's finals, the 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, looked like a champion in waiting. Then he nearly threw it away. But even a shocking moment of overconfidence on the word 'commelina' – instead of first asking common questions, such as definition, he let his showman's instincts take over and began 'K-A-M,' before realizing his error – couldn't prevent him from seizing the title of best speller in the English language. What word did he spell to win? His winning word was 'éclaircissement'. Faizan didn't ask a single question before spelling it correctly, and he pumped his fists and collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter. A vessel bearing human remains has been found nearly a year after the US Coast Guard suspended the search for a family of four missing after their boat capsized off Alaska, officials said. Sexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire in 2023, research has found. Doctors have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can predict which men with prostate cancer will benefit from the drug abiraterone, which halves the risk of dying and has been described as a 'gamechanger' treatment. Russian forces have used North Korean weapons to terrorize entire cities, according to a report by UN members that reveals the extent of Moscow's dependence on the regime in Pyongyang. I took the job as the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent in 2021, although I was reluctant about it, writes Bethan McKernan. I was happy living in Istanbul as the paper's Turkey and Middle East correspondent and the Jerusalem gig was notoriously thankless. Every single word published under my name would be forensically examined for signs of bias. In the end, I took the job – and now, four years later, I am leaving Jerusalem. I have learned a lot, and the experience has changed me. Almost 40% of glaciers in existence today are already doomed to melt due to climate-heating emissions from fossil fuels, a study has found. The loss will soar to 75% if global heating reaches the 2.7C rise for which the world is on track. The massive loss of glaciers would push up sea levels, endangering millions of people and driving mass migration, the researchers said. 'As a schoolboy in Canada, I was fascinated by the Guinness Book of Records,' Gary Duschl says. 'Little did I know then that in 1994 I would break a world record and feature in the book I adored as a young boy, all thanks to my childhood hobby – making paper chains out of chewing-gum wrappers.' First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@
NBC News
3 days ago
- General
- NBC News
Faizan Zaki wins Scripps National Spelling Bee a year after coming in 2nd
"Éclaircissement" was the winning word, but for Faizan Zaki it spelled success. The seventh grader from Dallas won the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, after last year having come in second place on the big stage. Faizan, 13, showed little hesitation as he spelled "éclaircissement," which means the clearing up of something obscure, in the final word to win the title of national spelling champ. He fell to the stage in joy as confetti rained down. 'I don't know what to say. I'm just really happy,' he said. The culmination of the national championship came with a shock. In what could have been the last round, when there were three left, Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane got their words wrong. It seemed to be Faizan's big chance. But he rushed to spell his word before a proper explanation and got the first letter wrong — a blunder on "commelina," a genus of plant that sent all three back for an additional round. Faizan joked about the pressure when he later faced what would be the winning word and after the spelling bee's official pronouncer, Jacques Bailly, suggested everyone take a deep breath. "That did not help at all," Faizan said, eliciting laughter from the crowd. Nine spellers made it to Thursday's final round, from Arizona, California, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. In the first contest, there were just nine participants. How times have changed. This year, 243 young people competed in the Spelling Bee, which kicked off Tuesday in National Harbor, Maryland. Those 243 young spellers made their way to the national competition after having qualified in regional contests in March. Almost all of the kids who made it to the nationals were there for the first time, organizers said. Fifty-three were in the 2024 national contest, while 178 were national first-timers.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Faizan Zaki Says Twin Sister Knew He'd Win Scripps National Spelling Bee, Credits Parents for Helping When He Felt Burnt Out
Faizan Zaki, 13, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship on Thursday, May 29 After his big win, the young Texan received "hundreds" of messages from friends and classmates His family was his integral to his victory, he tells PEOPLE, sharing how his twin sister kept telling him he was going to win, while his parents helped when he felt burnt outBefore Faizan Zaki's Scripps National Spelling Bee win, he leaned on his family for support, including his twin sister, who had a feeling this was his year. 'She kept saying, 'Oh my God, you're going to win, Faizan,' ' the 13-year-old Texan remembers his sister Zara saying before he won the final round, which aired on Thursday, May 29. "Honestly, I didn't believe her at first," he tells PEOPLE, but adds that "it was just nice hearing her say that." "That really reassured me," he says. The teen was the runner-up last year and dedicated himself to preparing before reentering the competition. He says he spent about five or six hours a day during the week — and even more on the weekends — reading the dictionary to spot words he didn't know. While he trained with coaches, Faizan says his parents — mother Arshia Quadri and father Zaki Anwar — were instrumental in his success. 'In mid-April, I got really burnt out from studying,' says Faizan. 'But then my mom and my dad, they really supported me." 'I don't recall exactly what my dad said, but it was just so encouraging,' he adds. Sometimes, his parents would sit by him while he was studying as a show of support. They'd been there from the very beginning. Although Faizan isn't sure what first drew him to spelling and a love of words, he says his mom has a video of him when he was only 2 years old reading full sentences. 'I really had that passion for words and reading and linguistics and stuff,' he says. Early on, his family realized he was a 'natural" — and he first entered the National Spelling Bee when he was 7. 'I honestly wouldn't be here without them,' he says. He also received support from his classmates and friends. Some of them had an online viewing party, so they could watch as he secured his big win during the 11th round of the finals with the word "éclaircissement." (The word means "a clearing up of something obscure," according to Merriam-Webster.) Faizan made headlines for the way he immediately leaped into spelling the French word, without asking standard questions about the word's origin or definition. 'I immediately recognized the word,' he says. 'So, without hesitation, I went straight for it.' When he finally had a moment to look at his phone, the teen found 'hundreds' of messages from friends — just like this twin, they were all confident he was going to win. 'They kept texting me like, 'You got this.' And, 'Oh my God, you're going to do so well,' ' Faizan recalls of the encouraging texts. He was most appreciative of a former competitor, Shrey Parikh, who participated in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'Even when he lost, he was so brave in that moment and that really inspired me,' says Faizan, who adds that this year Parikh 'was there for me all the way.' Faizan plans on continuing the cycle of generosity. The winner will receive $50,000 in cash from Scripps, $2,500 cash prize and reference library from Merriam-Webster and $400 worth of reference works from Encyclopædia Britannica, according to Scripps. The teen says he plans on saving half of the money for college — he plans on becoming a neurosurgeon one day — and donating half to charity. 'Seeing people in poverty, it's just really unfortunate,' says Faizan. 'I want to help change that.' Read the original article on People
