Éclair what? Explaining the word Faizan Zaki spelled to win
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.
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