Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old Indian-American seventh-grader from Florida, has clinched the title at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee, maintaining the long-standing tradition of excellence from the Indian-American community in this prestigious competition.
Bruhat emerged victorious after correctly spelling 29 words in a tense tiebreaker round, outpacing his closest competitor, Faizan Zaki, who managed to spell 20 words correctly in the same 90-second lightning round. The championship word that sealed Bruhat’s victory was “abseil,” which means “descent in mountaineering by means of a rope looped over a projection above.”
Bruhat’s performance was stellar from the start of the tiebreaker. He attempted 30 words, missing only one, and making it appear nearly impossible for his opponent to surpass him. Despite a valiant effort, Faizan’s uneven pace led to four errors out of 25 words attempted.
“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!” announced the organizers. Bruhat’s achievement surpassed the previous spell-off record set by Harini Logan in 2022, who spelled 22 out of 26 words correctly.
Corrie Loeffler, Executive Director of the Bee, praised the finalists’ skills, saying, “As the competition progressed, it was clear that Faizan and Bruhat – our final two spellers – showed up tonight ready to take down the dictionary. Together, they were a powerful match.”
In the closing minutes of the competition, officials activated the spell-off, giving the top two spellers 90 seconds each to spell as many words as they could from a predetermined list while the other was sequestered.
Adam Symson, President and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company, presented Bruhat with the championship trophy. “At just 12 years old, Bruhat impressed with his display of knowledge and composure,” Symson remarked.
This was Bruhat’s third participation in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He previously tied for 74th place in 2023 and 163rd place in 2022. Faizan Zaki of Allen, Texas, received USD 25,000 for his second-place finish. Shrey Parikh of Rancho Cucamonga, California, and Ananya Prassanna of Apex, North Carolina, tied for third place, each receiving USD 12,500.
Bruhat was coached by 16-year-old former speller Sam Evans. Before the national competition, Bruhat had already won the Words of Wisdom Bee and SpellPundit Bee. His father, Srinivas Soma, originally hails from Nalgonda in Telangana.