Official Adoption of the Ukrainian Spelling Standard
The National Commission on State Language Standards formally adopted the new Ukrainian Spelling Standard on March 1, 2026. This language reform is a significant development in Ukraine's ongoing efforts to strengthen its national identity. The new standard will become official following the repeal of the previous Cabinet of Ministers decree (No. 437, dated May 22, 2019) concerning Ukrainian orthography. The adoption was enabled by a law passed by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) on January 15, 2026, titled 'On Strengthening the Role of the Ukrainian Language in Affirming Ukrainian Statehood.'
Development by a Specialist Working Group
A dedicated working group, established on April 3, 2025, undertook the substantial task of preparing the new spelling rules. This process incorporated extensive public and institutional feedback, gathering roughly 1,400 suggestions from citizens and 27 official responses from government bodies, scientific institutions, and educational establishments. The working group's members included leading linguists and academics from several prominent institutions:
- Scientists from the O. O. Potebnia Institute of Linguistics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
- The Institute of the Ukrainian Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
- The Ukrainian Language Information Fund of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
- Professors from Dnipro National University named after Oles Honchar,
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and
- I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University.
The group's revisions involved clarifying the document's structure, correcting technical and editorial inaccuracies, and removing references to the aggressor-state from illustrative examples. The full text of the spelling standard will be published on the Commission's official website once it enters into force. This new Ukrainian Spelling Standard aims to improve the use of the Ukrainian language in public administration and civic life.
The approval of this updated orthography marks a pivotal step in the evolution of the Ukrainian language, reflecting contemporary societal needs and reinforcing the language's standing across all spheres of public life. It is anticipated that the new standard will promote greater consistency in writing and usage, simplify language instruction in educational institutions, and underscore the role of language as a core component of Ukraine's national identity and cultural heritage.