SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
This week, some of the youngest spellers in the country are competing one letter at a time at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
FAIZAN ZAKI: I really like the word sophrosyne. It's spelled S-O-P-H-R-O-S-Y-N-E.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
That's the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, 14-year-old Faizan Zaki. That's spelled...
FAIZAN: F-A-I-Z-A-N Z-A-K-I.
DETROW: He is from Allen, Texas.
FAIZAN: When I won my school spelling bee for the first time in first grade, it was just such an amazing experience. I mean, it was a small accomplishment in the grand scheme of things, but for me, it was really the motivator that pushed me for the rest of my journey.
SUMMERS: Zaki says his parents initially encouraged him to participate in spelling bees.
FAIZAN: But as I grew older, I realized that I really was pretty good at this and I had the capability to go beyond what my parents wanted me to do.
DETROW: Spelling became his focus, and breaking down words became his mission.
SUMMERS: Zaki made his first appearance at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019.
FAIZAN: So I think I got around, like, 300th place, so it definitely wasn't my best finish. But nonetheless, I wasn't discouraged by that.
DETROW: By 2024, Zaki found himself in the midst of a finalist lightning round...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Scintillante.
BRUHAT SOMA: S-C-I-N-T-I-L-L-A-N-T-E.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL DINGING)
SUMMERS: ...The top two contenders spelling as many words as they can.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Bruhat, you correctly spelled a total of 29 words.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Faizan, you correctly spelled a total of 20 words. That means that, Bruhat Soma, you are the 2024...
(CHEERING)
DETROW: Zaki was the runner-up.
FAIZAN: While I hadn't been expecting to even go to the finals, it definitely was heart-crushing.
SUMMERS: The summer after his loss was wall-to-wall words, preparing himself to be the last speller on stage.
DETROW: And finally, in 2025...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Eclaircissement.
FAIZAN: Eclaircissement. E-C-L-A-I-R-C-I-S-S-E-M-E-N-T. Eclaircissement.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: That is correct.
(CHEERING)
FAIZAN: That year, there was a lot of pressure on me to win. After getting second the previous year, a lot of people expected me to replicate my finish or even do better. And that pressure did put a lot on me.
SUMMERS: For spellers who might find themselves in the final round of the bee, Zaki has some words of wisdom.
FAIZAN: Just try not to be nervous. Stay calm. Especially to the spellers, you all have been preparing for so long for this moment.
DETROW: And to this year's contestants, good L-U-C-K.
SUMMERS: Nailed it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ISAAC STERN, FRANZ WAXMAN AND UNKNOWN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S PERFORMANCE OF RIMSKY-KORSAKOV'S "FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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