As soon as Faizan Zaki heard what would become his winning word at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, Faizan spelled éclaircissement, pretending to type each letter on an imaginary keyboard with signature confidence. wapo.st/3ZIvqj0
Notice he's not a dumb racist white guy.
He also sells drugs to 8 year olds why didn’t that make the story?!?
A LOT OF BRIGHT SMARTS IMMIGRANTS!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Why did you feel the need to put immigrant in the comment, that’s weird and rude.
Where in the world did that word come from, French?? I doubt that it is ever used in any conversation.
Shocked that trump allowed the post to highlight a non-white person. Unless this is the post trying to get ice to deport him. Why people still willingly work at the post unless they are also maga is a mystery.
What a moment for this brilliant kid. Nothing but stars in his future!
Being able to tell it was French would definitely help today, but not when I was 13. Damn. These kids are such a great blend of skill and talent.
That is awesome congratulations 🎈
Yay Faizan!🎉🎉🎉
So wonderful!
He knew it!!
Harvard bound?
Actually it’s “e accent-aigu” or “e grave accent” for the first letter but I’m not a judge so…🤷♂️
In this case it’s “e-accent-aigu”.
This brings tears of happiness to my eyes!
He pronounced it where the end of the word sounds like "small" but it's spelled as "ment" I guess it's a French pronunciation, I'd never gotten it right
Congrats
I hope he isn't deported.
Refreshingly (if not, obviously) he is not a white caucasian person. ❤️
Goated.
My goodness, I'm more than three times older than Faizan and this is the first time I'm ever seeing this word EVER. Congrats to Faizan!! 👏👏👏
He forgot the accent on the é. Fail.
so nice to see pure joy...
I can't even spell yaucht.
WINNER!!!
Happy for the kid! Norm will deport him
So sorry but it's wrong: It's : e with the acute accent... Not only e... You do it in french in dictation , it's a mistake..
It wasn't a French dictation competition.
Way to Grow celebrates 100 years of the Bee and Faizan’s flawless take on éclaircissement! A word that reminds us: with the right support, even the inexplicable becomes clear. 🐝📚 #EducationIsPower #spellingbee #thebeeturns100
Fabulous.
All bakeries should offer sales on eclairs in honor of Faizan!
Congratulations to the dude!!
How long before the trump administration realizes a white person didn’t win, and he’s deported to El Salvador?
There was a great documentary called Spellbound following kids to the Bee. I never forgot it !
This was great !
The current administration is éclaircissement.
You can tell this isn't a tv competition show because there was no... excruciatingly long....... dramatic........... pause......... before...... declaring..................... him........................................... ..................................................... ..............correct.
The winner. . . . Of American bullshit sob story popularity contest. . . . . . 2025. . . . . . Is. . . . . . . . Cuts to commercial.
I never even heard of the word LOL 😂
I'm guessing Trump will send ICE to congratulate him
- Now on this map, indicate where Finland is. - In Nevada? - Incorrect. In Europe. Now indicate where Cameroon is. - North of Mexico? - Incorrect. In Africa. - It's impossible because Africa is a country. - .......... How wonderful the US educational system is!
What the hell are you talking about?
I know where Cameroon is from Trading Place the Hailey Selassie Leadership Conference
Fuck MAGA fuck traitor Trump
Congratulations to Faizan!
Okay. I'm glad that's cleared up.
Republicans hate that kid
Wonderful
he wasn’t pretending to type he was accessing his memory palace
Why did they allow a 60 year old man in the tournament.
Congratulations young man
Thanks for sharing positive content. ❤️
Congratulations Faizan!
Very good. Still not sure why a french word is part of a US national speeling bee, but ok, who am I to challenge that :-) I doubt "Éclaircissement" could be considered a borrowed word in english .. does it? Not a pro in spelling competitions tho :)
Fully 40% of English derives from French, with Latin, Greek and German filling in most of the rest. Pure Anglo-Saxon accounts for around 25%. I hope you found my éclaircissement helpful.
So let's ditch like half of the English vocabulary?
Was I inconclusive about what is considered a borrowed word and what is not? I mean we can debate about it .. i thought I was clear enough.
I mean, imagine being challenged to spell "kê-tsiap" .. (yes that's the supposed cantonese origin of ketchup meaning fermented fishsauce ..) or "风水" (fēngshuǐ)
Certainly, many “English” words we speak are French in origin.
Foyer, hors d'oeuvres, café--just a few
Before, we "borrowed" the café from Arabic
See, I thought cafe was French and coffee was Arabic. And then coffee travels through the universe & becomes synonymous as cafe??🤷🏽♀️
Exactly!!
alright. :-) So would you say, that the word "mamihlapinatapai" should also be part in national spelling contests? As even this word is more prevalent in mainstream english than "Éclaircissement" we rather use "Clarification" in english .. not "Éclaircissement"
Props for using a word I had to look up👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 and yes, it could be included because Scripps National Spelling Bee is known for using a plethora of “obscure” words, languages. 😊
I guess it should be seen as more like a contest about language in general then (which it may be anyway).. It hink most language do have some specifics on common and general knowledge about that may help a lot with all kinds of words.
Yes, and I would say, with respect, as an American, that most Americans do not know the origins of the simplest of words, let alone the colossal words these spelling bee kids have to spell off the top. They have to know the meaning, origin, roots, usage of words. They far surpass my knowledge. 😊
This kid is from our school district super proud of his representation!
That's awesome!
What is the big fucking deal? The donut shop uptown has had an eclair easement for years!
Moments later, confetti rained upon the 13-year-old seventh-grader from Texas as he was declared the champion and handed an enormous ceramic trophy. “I don’t even know what I’m going to say. I’m just really happy,” Faizan said, visibly shaking. Read more:
Well done young man!!! Congratulations!
Awesome job !
Even with a French word, congratulations! 👏👏👏
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I'll never understand why this is a thing.
Do you wonder why all competitions are a thing?
No. I get for example the 100m. But the spelling bee has always floored me. I can't imagine why this gets national attention. If it were, say, a math or chess tournament, I'd understand. But it is rote memorization of a skill that has long been done better by a computer, anyway.
Poor guy had to grow up in Texas
Love this
Congrats!
So great! Wow! What a word. Congratulations Faizan! #SpellingBee
That’s probably the easiest word I’ve personally seen in this tournament. Congratulations to him though.
THIS is the greatness of America! All these kids 💯
Inspirational. Well done!
This is why it's important to know more than 1 language.
Appropriate flag. XD
TACO Trump will try and deport him now.
These kids did such a great job. Amazing to watch.
Congratulations young man!
E accent grave
I mean it's French.
And shortly after….tR signed an Executive Order to ban Indians from participating, order also bans French words.
FYI I was making a joke ( there was no Exec order…yet ) but given his proven interest in elevating ordinary white men in any way he can - I won’t flinch when it happens.
It's sad that this can't just be a simple happy occasion, without bringing 47/MAGA into it.
Congratulations 🎉 👏👏👏👏
It looks like he’s typing the word out, as if in his mind he envisions a keyboard and what keystrokes make up the word.
He won despite being a DEI hire.
Not funny
Wasn’t meant to be
Brava! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Surprised MAGA hasn’t come for the south Asian spelling bee dominance lol
Give them time.
You could easily bait Steven Naziferatu Miller just by bringing it up I’m sure. Especially in his current fragile state.
Wow I couldn't even spell eclair let alone eclair easement 😆 congrats
If you ask anybody in France, they will tell you that he indeed did not spell the word correctly because he did not note the presence of the accent on the very first letter. And that’s not really in English word. That’s an actual French word. If it were English, it wouldn’t have that accent.
this is the shit why nobody likes Quebec'rs. just let a damn kid enjoy shit. smh.
Good thing the judges didn’t ask a pedantic, pissant French person, then.
Exactly . Dude probably already knows 2 indian languages apart from english
👏👏👏👍
Indians always seem to win the spelling Bee. The secret is, Indian parents are strict and expect discipline from their kids.
To win at this level, it’s up to the child to put in the effort and time. No parent can force their kid to win the Scripps National Bee. Parents can only facilitate a good environment but it’s up to the kid. The list to get there is 5000 words. -From a Spelling Bee Coach.
I think it's about the Indian culture and the desire for their children to achieve something in life. Indian families focus on their children and provide a stable environment. Parents set the bar high and expect their kids to work hard.
Home boy teed off on that one!
Why is it that is always an Indian person or oriental? Oh wait I know why, computers made it, absolite. As in a waste of time
What are you on about ? . Spelling bee at that level makes you learn geography,history and anthropology etc
Since when does English words have diacritical marks? Did Faizan correctly identify that it was an 'e' aigu? If not, he did not spell it correctly.
You saw his face as he hit the last few letters, "Oh shit, I'm gonna win!"
Is immediately deported to El Salvador.
Heavy sigh ... Your comment is sadly justified.
Joe, bite your tongue please
Damn, beat me to it 😂♥️
Not funny Let’s just celebrate the child’s win?
I hear that. My first thought was that I was overjoyed for this kid. The second thought that immediately followed was: Brown kids are in danger now. 😓
Ngl, made the same remark at home. Sad times indeed
What I was thinking. You can’t have firstly coloured skin people (apart from Vance’s children) in the country - secondly he’s far too educated, he’s a danger to national security
The contestants should also be able to explain the meaning of the words otherwise this becomes a mindless skill
Bravo!
Hooray for Faizan!
Spellcheck, anyone?
IF YOU WANT TO BE SMART ... LEARN & EAT FRENCH !! :: ADVOCATE FOR THE TOTAL RESTORATION OF A FREE INDEPENDANT FRANCE that produced MOST GOOD INVENTIONS & RESEARCH the modern world is built on often by ordinary citizens and not the rich !!
Wow! Great,future.
He would win a lot of contests in France just with this answer. 😉
That’s brilliant. Now he needs to be deported because the USA is a nation based on racism and fascism with a special hotline to Gawd (tm). I liked the USA better when it had spelling bees instead of LICE Gestapo and a halfwit neo nasty religious grifter as its figurehead.
Hysterical
My dumbass in his shoes: Ey bro you can’t just be making up words mid-contest
This guy deserves a celebration! 🎉
who else was surprised to learn that éclaircissement didn’t mean to put an end to all donuts?
👌🏼
Yea I thought it was embarrassment from being caught binging on éclairs 🤪
Seems more like a French word than an English one
About 30% of English words are of French origin
it is, but it’s in the english dictionary 😳
Well played Bethany, well played :)
Call me relieved
Good one, thanks for giving me my first giggle of the day 😄
Éclaircissement www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%...
I got excited for the Eclair arrondissement that I knew nothing about.
Precisely! I immediately thought "THAT'S the neighborhood to stay in next I'm in Paris. Yum!"
Come on, Faizan! Argyle, TX is cheering for you!
They’ll probably deport that child
