Faizan Zaki won the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, defeating eight other finalists and earning more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.
Faizan, a 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, was a favorite to win this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee and was last year’s runner-up.
In its final minutes, the competition came down to Sarv Dharavane, 11; Sarvadnya Kadam, 14; and Faizan. However, all three finalists misspelled their respective words, which set up another round between the three.
“I can’t remember the last time we’ve seen this kind of late-round drama here at the spelling bee,” said Paul Loeffler, the Bee’s TV analyst.
Following another round, the last two standing were Sarvadnya and Faizan, who won the Bee by correctly spelling éclaircissement, which is a noun that’s defined as a “clearing up of something obscure.”
Faizan was able to spell the word correctly without asking a single question. He pumped his fists and collapsed to the floor after finishing the last few letters of the word with excitement in his voice.
Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images 
“I’m really happy,” Faizan said afterward.
The first National Spelling Bee began 100 years ago in 1925. However, Thursday’s winner marked the 110th champion due to an eight-way tie in 2019 and a two-way tie several times.
Nine students, ages 11 to 14, faced off Thursday on the final night of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The competition started with 243 young spellers who qualified after advancing through local and regional bees.
The competition was held just outside Washington, D.C., at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. In 2026, the competition will return to the nation’s capital at Constitution Hall.
