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Faizan Zaki was already close to winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition on May 29 when he botched the spelling of a word
Despite his fumble, the 13-year-old student was able to secure the win
Now, he and his coaches are reflecting on that colorful moment
Faizan Zaki and his coaches are sharing their perspective after the 13-year-old boy overcame a flub and ended up winning the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
“I was stunned, but still cautiously optimistic,” Scott Remer, one of the boy’s coaches, told The New York Times of the nerve-racking moment during the final round. “But that’s why it’s critical to ask questions and collect oneself before spelling.”
Zaki, who was last year’s runner-up, was close to victory, with just two words to go, when he rushed into the spelling of “commelina.”
Instead of asking standard clarifying questions about the word’s origin and definition — derived from New Latin, “commelina” is the name for a genus of creeping, flowering herbs — he rushed into spelling, the Associated Press reported.
“K-A-M,” said Zaki, before pausing, the outlet reported. “OK, let me do this. Oh, shoot!”
“Just ring the bell,” the teen then told judge Mary Brooks. As the rules of the competition go, that resulted in two spellers returning to the competition.
Fortunately, that didn’t end up being the defining moment of Zaki’s story as he ended up winning this year’s competition during the 11th round of the finals with the word “éclaircissement.” (The word means “a clearing up of something obscure,” according to Merriam-Webster.)
While standing next to his hard-won trophy that night, Zaki said the memory of the flub wasn’t likely to go away quickly.
“I’m definitely going to be having nightmares about that tonight,” he said, according to the AP.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty
The winner said he was breathless towards the end of the final round.
The champion was avidly watched during the centennial competition, which included 243 students from across the U.S. and the globe.
Securing the win involved practicing almost 40 hours a week, Zaki during an appearance on Good Morning America.
Michael A. McCoy for The Washington Post via Getty
The 13-year-old Texan proudly holding his trophy.
At the end of his victorious final round, Zaki said he was so excited, he was breathless.
“Those last couple of letters, I was gasping for air,” he said on the show. “I was like hyperventilating with excitement.”
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Zaki also explained his more casual approach to the spelling competition.
“I’ve been in this for seven years so at this point I’m not really that nervous,” added the teen. “I’m definitely confident but not overconfident. I also have that casual style.”
Read the original article on People
