Last year when DeKalb County student Sarv Dharavane came in 22nd place at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, he told his parents he could go further.
The 11-year-old kept his promise this year when he nabbed third place at the national bee. He was the youngest participant in the Thursday night finals.
“I couldn’t believe I was going to be part of the top three,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday. “This is amazing!”
He spelled words like “fede ring” (a finger ring in the shape of two clasped hands), “lactagogue” (an agent that promotes the secretion of milk) and “dhaura” (a type of east Indian tree). In round 18, he misspelled “acker” (a ripple or current in water) — but was saved when the two other remaining spellers also misspelled their words.
“This is surprising,” Sarv joked when he walked up to the mic for round 19.
He was eliminated from the competition when he misspelled “eserine” (a drug that causes pupils to constrict). But he couldn’t be too disappointed.
“I learned so many different words,” he said, “and that increases your knowledge in every single way … The spelling bee is indirectly teaching us skills that we can use so much in the future.”
Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Sarv won the state bee two years in a row. Now with two national bees behind him, he’s already looking ahead.
“I’m going to try as hard as possible to win next year,” he said.
Head Judge Mary Brooks already expects to see him again before he heads to high school and is no longer eligible to participate.
“Don’t forget how proud your state of Georgia is,” said Mary Brooks, the head judge of the national bee. “And I’m going to say it: We look forward to seeing you come back.”
The bee finals went on for more than two hours Thursday night. Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Dallas and last year’s runner-up, won the 2025 national bee. He fell to the ground after spelling “éclaircissement” (a clearing up of something obscure).
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Sarv was joined at the national bee by Sara Daoud, a 12-year-old from Columbia County. She came in second place in this year’s state bee, and 41st at the national bee.
The 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee finals started Thursday night with nine spellers — narrowed down from 11 million spelling bee participants in schools across the country.
More than 200 students traveled to Maryland to compete after qualifying at state and regional competitions over the last few months. Students advance by correctly spelling words. In some rounds, the students were tested on their vocabulary and had to correctly answer multiple choice questions.
After the bee, Sarv said he went back to his hotel room and immediately fell asleep. The competition landed on the last day of school in DeKalb County, but he said he wasn’t missing out. His school organized a watch party so his friends could cheer him on from afar. By Friday, he was ready to celebrate.
“This is like a speller’s heaven,” he said.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the student’s school. Sarv Dharavane is an Austin Elementary student.
Spelled by Sarv Dharavane at the National Bee
- towhee — a type of North American songbird
- proclivity — a tendency to do something regularly
- kasha — a soft food made from cooked buckwheat
- quern — a hand mill for grinding grain
- saynète — a short one-act play
- levallorphan — a medication that acts as an opioid modulator
- ethology — the science of animal behavior
- fede ring — a finger ring in the shape of two clasped hands
- lactagogue — agent that promotes the secretion of milk
- saurel — a type of elongated marine fish like the horse mackerel
- burgall — a small food fish abundant on the shores of New England
- dhaura — a type of east Indian tree
- acker — a ripple or current in water
- eserine — a drug that causes pupils to constrict
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