Orthographic Revolution: Changes That Make Life Easier!

As of January 1, 2026, an updated set of 11 spelling rules, introduced by the Polish Language Council of the Polish Academy of Sciences, is in effect. These changes, concerning the combined and separate spelling of words and the use of capital letters, aim to adapt orthography to contemporary Polish, simplify rules, and eliminate exceptions.

Key Changes in a Nutshell:

• Capital Letter for Residents: We always write the names of residents of cities, districts, settlements, and villages with a capital letter (e.g., Warszawianin).
• Brands in Capital Letters: Not only the names of companies, but also individual items (Ford).
• Separate Particles: We write the particles -bym, -byś, -by, -byśmy, -byście separately with conjunctions.
• Together with Participles: We do not write 'nie' separately with declinable participles.
• Adjectives from Personal Names: We usually write in lowercase (e.g., dramat szekspirowski).
• Half- Together: Combined spelling in expressions such as półzabawa, półżartem.
• Equivalent Words: Three spelling versions are allowed (with a hyphen, comma, or separately).
• Proper Names: Detailed rules for using capital letters in the names of comets, geographical names, and public space objects.
• Prefixes: We write prefixes together with words, and if the word begins with a capital letter, we use a hyphen.
• Niby- and quasi-: Always together with words written in lowercase.
• Nie- with Adjectives: Always together, regardless of the degree.

The Polish Language Council has announced the publication of a free online spelling dictionary at the end of 2026, taking these changes into account. It's worth staying up-to-date with the new spelling rules!