Latest news with #NationalSpellingBee
NDTV
7 hours 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
- 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
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Éclair what? Explaining the word Faizan Zaki spelled to win
Éclair what? Explaining the word Faizan Zaki spelled to win Show Caption Hide Caption Faizan Zaki is the National Spelling Bee champion Last year's runner up, Faizan Zaki, takes home the 2025 National Spelling Bee championship. The Scripps National Spelling Bee concluded with an exciting comeback this year, securing last year's second-place winner, Faizan Zaki, as this year's champion and making him one of only five runners-up ever to come back and win the first-place spot. Zaki bested Sarvadnya Kadam in the 20th round to win the 2025 spelling bee on May 29 with the word éclaircissement, which he spelled without hesitation before collapsing to the floor as confetti fell, as USA TODAY reported. Last year, Zaki was bested in a "spell-off," which entailed breaking a tie by having two contestants spell as many words accurately as possible in 90 seconds. That time, his 20 came just short of his opponent's 29. This time around, however, he secured the trophy and cash reward with a traditional moment of spelling excellence. Zaki recognized the world and quickly and spelled it confidently. Some of us in the USA TODAY newsrooms, admittedly, could not do the same. Do you think you could have gotten the winning word? Do you know what it means or how to pronounce it? Here's what to know. Who won the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Texas native, took home the winning title and $52,500 grand prize at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, beating out runner-up Sarvadnya Kadam. He came in second place himself in 2024, making this win a special redemption for the teen. What does éclaircissement mean? The winning word, éclaircissement, was one Zaki told news outlets he "instantly" recognized. While its prefix may conjure images of the chocolate-drizzled pastries known as éclairs, the term has nothing to do with sweet treats. The French word, first used in 1667 according to Merriam-Webster, means to clear up or clarify something, or to explain or enlighten. Using the word in a sentence, you may say something like, "The book provided an éclaircissement on the author's intentions" or "The detective's éclaircissement of the crime was crucial in solving the case." How do you pronounce éclaircissement? When it comes to pronunciation, hearing someone do it right tends to be the way to go, so we suggest listening to the video below if you intend to incorporate the winning spelling bee word into your daily vocabulary. If you're more of a sounding-it-out type of person, the phonetic spelling, according to Cambridge Dictionary, is eklɛʀsismɑ̃. What are previous winning spelling bee words? In 2024, a tie-breaker between Zaki and the eventual winner, Bruhat Soma, entailed a lightning round in which Soma won by spelling 29 words correctly in 90 seconds, meaning there wasn't one singular winning word. In 2023, 14-year-old Dev Shah correctly spelled psammophile, a plant or animal that lives in sandy areas, to become the 2023 champion. In 2022, 14-year-old Harini Logan won the first-ever spell-off, again securing the title via the correct spelling of multiple words in rapid succession. In 2021, 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde spelled murraya, a genus of tropical trees, to win the title.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Teen from Allen, Texas wins Scripps National Spelling Bee with 'eclaircissement'
No éclaircissement was needed after 13-year-old Faizan Zaki triumphed in the 21st round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The teen collapsed on the floor with excitement after correctly spelling "éclaircissement" and securing the national title — not to mention a trophy and $50,000. Zaki's win also coincided with a major milestone: the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. When spelling the "M-E-N-T" in "éclaircissement," Zaki, who hails from Allen, Texas, was understandably thrilled after coming in second place at last year's competition behind Bruhat Soma, who was 12 years old when he took home the trophy. National Spelling Bee Approves Feminist Term, 'Womyn,' In Kids' Spelling Competition However, his victory didn't come without drama — Zaki nearly lost in round 18 when asked to spell "commelina." Zaki started saying "K-A-M" before stopping himself and telling head judge Mary Brooks to "just ring the bell," which she did. Zaki got another shot after 14-year-old Sarvadnya Kadam misspelled "Uaupes" in round 20 — paving the way for his win with "éclaircissement." In a post on X congratulating the 13-year-old, the Scripps National Spelling Bee wrote that Zaki "left everything on stage." Florida Teen Wins Scripps National Spelling Bee Read On The Fox News App "He's the GOAT. I actually believe that. He's really good, man. He's been doing it for so long, and he knows the dictionary in and out," Zaki's father, Said Zaki Anwar told ESPN. Zaki's win was notable not only for the final word and the Bee's centennial, but also because it marked the first time in nearly 25 years that a former runner-up returned to win the title. According to ESPN, the last person to do so was Sean Conley, who was the 2001 champion. Zaki and Conley are members of an extremely exclusive club with just five members total from the event's 100 years. The final three in the 2025 competition also included 11-year-old Sarv Dharavane, who would have been the competition's youngest champion since Nihar Janga, who won in 2016. Zaki's stumble over "commelina" and subsequent comeback are not the first examples of drama at the spelling bee. This children's competition has produced a surprising number of historic moments. In 2019, the spelling bee's results were arguably some of the most controversial, as the competition ended with the only eight-way tie in the Scripps National Spelling Bee's article source: Teen from Allen, Texas wins Scripps National Spelling Bee with 'eclaircissement'
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
What was the winning word at this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee?
Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Texas, took top prize at this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee. Faizan, who came in second at the 2024 spelling bee, was all smiles as he spelled the winning word: éclaircissement.
