This year, 247 students, including seven Missouri participants, have earned a spot in the ultimate spelling contest of all spelling contests. The annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is scheduled to begin May 26 in the Washington, D.C. area.
The bee will include a variety of words – many of which are tough to pronounce and know what they mean – let alone spell them. For instance, Faizan Zaki correctly spelled “éclaircissement” to become the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee winner.
Missouri’s students competing this year are from Columbia, Lee’s Summit, Peculiar, Branson, Polo near Kansas City, Wildwood near St. Louis, and Park Hills in St. Francois County. Three of them are returning after participating in the 2025 bee.
The tradition, which has been around since 1925, promotes literacy among young people.
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- Alex Mayes of Raymore-Peculiar School District
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- Ananya Aggarwal of Columbia
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- Beckett Griffin of Lee’s Summit
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- Emmalyn Franks of Branson
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- Gentry Layton of Park Hills
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- Jon Allen of Polo
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- Khusi Dahal of Wildwood
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