Faizan Zaki

Faizan Zaki is an Indian-American spelling bee contestant known for winning the 97th Scripps National Spelling Bee that marks the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Faizan Zaki was the first Muslim to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Faizan is a student from Allen, Texas, attending C. M. Rice Middle School in the Plano Independent School District (ISD). He developed an interest in spelling at a young age and began competing in spelling bees at the age of seven. At seven years old, he was the youngest participant in the nationals, competing in the 92nd Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019. In 2023, he advanced to the semifinals and tied for 21st place. In 2024, he finished in second place, losing in a spell-off against Bruhat Soma, the champion of the year, from St. Petersburg, Florida.

In 2025, he returned to the national finals. Nearing the end of the competition, he misspelled "commelina" by rushing. He confused the word with "kamelaika", a variant spelling of the word "kamleika". However, he was able to once more surpass Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane, who were second and third placers respectively, by spelling the word "éclaircissement" correctly, taking the championship.

Beyond spelling, Faizan has an interest in astronomy and playing the viola. In addition to his spelling achievements, Faizan enjoys speedcubing and aspires to pursue a career in medicine or linguistics.