Gramota.ru
The reference and information portal Gramota.ru is a leading Russian digital platform dedicated to the Russian language —its norms, orthography, punctuation, lexicology, stylistics, and speech culture. Initially oriented toward media professionals, it has evolved into a universal resource for a broad audience: journalists, editors, educators, students, native speakers, learners of Russian as a foreign language, and linguistics enthusiasts. «Gramota.ru» consolidates authoritative normative dictionaries, reference works, interactive exercises, expert consultations, and educational materials, contributing to the promotion of linguistic knowledge and to the improvement of literacy in the digital environment. Its mission is to provide up-to-date information on Russian-language norms, to affirm literacy as a key element of human culture, to develop original reference and educational materials, and to create digital tools for learning and communication. The platform's monthly audience exceeds 17 million users, with particular emphasis on supporting journalists, teachers, and learners of Russian as a foreign language.
History
The history of the portal began on 14 November 2000, when it was launched on the recommendation of the "Russian Language in the Mass Media". The initiative originated from the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Press, Television, and Radio Broadcasting, and the editorial board was headed by Professor V. P. Neroznak. The board included Yu. N. Karaulov,, Yu. E. Prokhorov, among others. Over 25 years, the portal has passed through key stages of development: from basic dictionaries and a reference service in its early years under the leadership of Yulia Safonova, interactive dictations, radio programs, and SMS Olympiads, to a complete redesign in 2023 with the integration of AI for intelligent search, a metasemantic dictionary, and the "Study Guide" section. Since 2022, the general director has been Konstantin Derevyanko, and since 2023 the editor-in-chief has been Kseniya Kiseleva. During this period, approximately 300,000 user inquiries have been processed.
Content
The portal's content includes an extensive library of normative dictionaries, reference guides on punctuation and phraseology, the "Reference Office" section for online consultations, the "Textbook" section with rules, exercises, and tongue twisters, as well as the "Library," which contains texts of Russian literature from the 11th to the 20th century. The Gramota.ru journal publishes popular-science articles, interviews, expert monologues, and language-related news, including analyses of neologisms, slang, and loanwords. For learners of Russian as a foreign language, the portal offers useful phonetic descriptions, games, and reading materials. Its partners include the V. V. Vinogradov Institute of the Russian Language of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the A. S. Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, which provide the academic foundation for the project. The portal integrates AI technologies for speech synthesis and cross-search across its content. The logo featuring a snail, introduced in 2005, symbolizes the gradual growth of literacy on the Internet. In scholarly research, the portal is noted as a key resource for normative lexicography, offering unique entries from the Big Explanatory Dictionary and contributing to the critical analysis of linguistic norms.
In society
The portal's influence on society is reflected in its educational initiatives, including the annual "Word of the Year" campaign: in 2025, the winner was "zoomer", reflecting the linguistic innovations of Generation Z; the finalists were "burnout", "red flag", and "prompt." The process involves expert selection of neologisms, statistical analysis, and voting, thereby stimulating public discourse on linguistic shifts such as the adaptation of loanwords and compressives. Studies emphasize the portal's role as a linguocultural instrument: through its reference service and surveys, it monitors issues of speech usage, helps preserve national identity, counteracts online errors, and promotes literacy —especially among young people and Russian speakers abroad — thus reinforcing its status as the " general representation" of the Russian language on the Internet without posing any threat to its linguistic adaptability.
Awards
The portal has received multiple awards for its contribution to the development of the Russian language and the Internet: four times the Runet Prize in the "Science and Education" category ; in 2013, the Russian Government Prize in the field of mass media; in 2024, first place in the Golden Site competition and second place in the Runet Rating for its new design. It actively collaborates with federal mass media, organizes lectures, participates in the Total Dictation campaign, in forums, and in projects such as the "Living Dictionary" . In the academic sphere abroad, Gramota.ru is recommended as a resource for advanced learners, supporting the development of reading skills, linguistic norms, and speech culture through interactive competitions, a classics library, and reference materials for heritage learners.