India, May 30 -- Faizan Zaki won the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee after spelling the French word "eclaircissement" correctly. The 13-year-old took home the coveted Scripps Cup along with $50,000 in cash and a commemorative medal as he bested over 240 contestants from across the country Thursday night. The young Indian-American "loves words," according to his mother, Arshia Quadri.

Zaki, a seventh-grade student at C.M. Rice Middle School in Dallas, Texas, began his competitive spelling journey in 2019 when he was just 7 years old. In an interview with ABC Action News at the time, his parents, Quadri and Zaki Anwar, revealed that his interest in complex words began as a family activity.

"He loves it. I mean he loves the learning and...