Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old Indian-American seventh-grade student from Florida, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling 29 words in the tiebreaker. This victory continues the success of children from this small ethnic community in the competition. Bruhat’s father is originally from Nalgonda in Telangana. It was Bruhat’s third time participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The competition came down to a tiebreaker between Bruhat and Faizan Zaki. Bruhat spelled 29 words correctly in 90 seconds, while Faizan managed to spell 20 words in the lightning round. Bruhat’s championship word was “abseil,” which means “descent in mountaineering by means of a rope looped over a projection above.”
After 14 rounds over three days, organisers called for a spell-off to determine the winner. Bruhat went first in the tiebreaker and successfully spelled 30 words, making it difficult for Faizan to catch up. Faizan attempted 25 words but stumbled on four of them.
The organisers declared, “Bruhat Soma rules the word! The Champion of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee! The boy with the unbelievable memory doesn’t miss a word all week and takes home the Scripps Cup!”
