PLANO, Texas – A North Texas teen hopes to spell his way to the title "best in the nation," a year after finishing second at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

What You Need To Know

  • Faizan Zaki, a seventh grader at Rice Middle School in Plano, qualified for the quarterfinals Tuesday at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

  • This is the 13-year-old’s fourth time making the national competition, including last year when he nearly won

  • This could be the teen’s last shot at the National Spelling Bee, with his eligibility up after his upcoming eighth grade year

  • The 22 Texas spellers range in age from 14 down to the state’s youngest qualifier, 8-year-old Zachary Teoh of Houston

Faizan Zaki, a seventh grader at Rice Middle School in Plano, qualified for the quarterfinals Tuesday at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. This is the 13-year-old’s fourth time making the national competition, including last year when he nearly won.

“I got runner-up, so this year, I’m trying to beat that,” said Zaki as he studied his spelling in his school’s library.

Zaki made it to a tie-breaking lightning round last year, known in the competition as the "spell-off," where he fell short to winner Bruhat Soma. Since then, Zaki has won a number of top spelling bees in preparation for his return to Scripps.

“It is really competitive,” said Zaki.

This could be the teen’s last shot at the National Spelling Bee, with his eligibility up after his upcoming eighth grade year, so Zaki is pulling out all the stops.

“Once I get home, I just get straight to doing spelling,” he said. “So I just try to look for those obscure words so that I’m prepared for, like, words that I haven’t seen.”

Zaki said he uses a number of resources in his preparations, but his favorite is simply the dictionary, which he said he has read cover to cover about three or four times this year. Zaki said spelling has always just been a strong point for him and something he has had a passion for.

The same can likely be said for the other 21 Texas students who qualified for the national competition; most of whom were listed as quarterfinalists alongside Zaki Wednesday morning. The Texas spellers range in age from 14 down to the state’s youngest qualifier, 8-year-old Zachary Teoh of Houston.

The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee will be crowned this week with a prize of more than $50,000 in cash and a $1,000 contribution to a school of their choice.

Zaki hopes this year will be his year to take the top prize but said he’s loved his spelling journey regardless, making a lot of friends along the way and enjoying being "the guy" his classmates come to for spellchecks.

“I’m just really grateful that I have that gift for spelling and that I get to show it,” said Zaki.