Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Faizan Zaki says he was 'hyperventilating' during win
The winner of the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee says that even after practicing spelling for nearly 40 hours a week prior to the competition, his win Thursday night was "all a blur."
"I was just so excited and, like, after I spoke my word, at the end, when I spoke my word, I was kind of losing breath," Faizan Zaki said on "Good Morning America" Friday, after getting just two hours of sleep following his win.
Faizan, 13, correctly spelled the word "éclaircissement" to win the bee, not even pausing to ask any questions beforehand, and collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter.
"Those last couple of letters, I was gasping for air," Faizan said on "GMA." "I was like hyperventilating with excitement."
The Texas teenager, who finished runner-up last year, almost saw the spelling bee victory fall from his grasp when he was just two words away from victory. On the first word, "commelina," Faizan rushed to spell the word instead of asking questions like its definition or origin, and misspelled the first two letters, calling out "K-A-M" instead of "C-O-M."
The mistake put Faizan's last two competitors back in contention, before Faizan saw the victory through.
Faizan said he "immediately recognized" the final word, "éclaircissement" -- a noun meaning enlightenment -- which gave him the confidence to quickly and correctly spell the word.
Despite his spelling prowess, Faizan moved through the spelling bee with the casualness of a typical teenager, wearing a hoodie and even calling the judges "bro."
"I mean, yeah, I've been in this for seven years so at this point I'm not really that nervous," Faizan said of his seemingly relaxed approach to the competition. "I'm definitely confident but not overconfident. I also have that casual style."
Leading up to the competition, Faizan said he spent five to six hours daily on weekdays and seven to eight hours daily on weekends scanning a dictionary for words he didn't recognize and writing them down.
Noting the routine is more enjoyment for him than practice, Faizan admitted he is relieved the spelling bee is over.
He said he may next move his attention to a new competition focus, math.
"I really enjoy math so maybe I can try getting into the International [Mathematical] Olympiad," Fazian said, referring to the annual global math competition for high school students.
