The 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee is underway in Washington, D.C., continuing a tradition that began in 1925. This year's competition features 247 spellers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories, and five other countries: The Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.
Key Changes and Details
After being held in suburban Maryland for many years, the bee returns to the nation's capital at Constitution Hall, just blocks from the White House. ESPN NFL analyst and recent Celebrity Jeopardy! champion Mina Kimes has joined as the television host. The bee was canceled from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the 98th bee, but the winner will be the 111th champion due to multiple ties, including an eight-way tie in 2019.
How to Watch
Preliminary rounds on Tuesday stream on Scripps Sports Network and spellingbee.com from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT. Wednesday's quarterfinals stream from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and semifinals from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a tape-delayed broadcast on ION from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Finals air Thursday on ION from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., also available on Scripps-owned channels like ION Plus, Bounce, Grit, Laff, The Spot, and Scripps News.
Competition Rules
Spellers qualify through regional bees and must not have advanced beyond eighth grade or be older than 15. The competition includes two preliminary rounds with words from a provided list, a written test, and oral rounds from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary. The finals feature a lightning-round tiebreaker called a spell-off if only two remain.
Top Contenders
Sarv Dharavane of Dunwoody, Georgia, finished third in 2024 and returns as an 11-year-old fifth-grader. Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Rancho Cucamonga, California, also placed third in 2024 and has won multiple other bees. Oliver Halkett of Los Angeles and Esha Marupudi of Chandler, Arizona, both tied for seventh last year.
Prizes
The champion receives a custom trophy and over $50,000 in cash and prizes. First place: $52,500 cash, reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster, a custom trophy and medal, and $1,000 in flight credits from Delta Air Lines. Second place: $25,000. Third: $15,000. Fourth: $10,000. Fifth: $5,000. Sixth: $2,500. All other finalists: $2,000.
Last year's winner, Faizan Zaki of Dallas, Texas, was 13 years old and had placed second in 2024. Thirty of the past 36 champions have been of Indian heritage.
