Correctarium question bot

Is it one word or two? A comma before the conjunction or not? Which case after this verb? These doubts appear when you write an important email, a post or a thesis and do not feel like digging through a reference book. The Correctarium bot lets you ask editors directly. ✍️

It is not a dictionary or an automatic corrector. You write a question about Russian spelling and grammar, and the editorial team picks useful ones to answer in their channel.

How the exchange with editors works

The bot has one command, /start. Its description says to use it to ask a question to the Correctarium editors. After that you just write your message.

One thing to know: answers to the most useful questions get published in the team's channel. So nobody promises a personal reply to every message. The bot acts like an editorial front desk that collects topics for future write-ups.

What is worth asking

The best questions are the ones many people share. If a tricky case bothers you, it probably bothers other readers too.

• Spelling: joined, separate and hyphenated forms, prefixes and endings.
• Punctuation: commas with parenthetical words, set off phrases, dashes and colons.
• Grammar: agreement, government, declension of numerals and surnames.
• Style: officialese, repetition, clumsy phrasing.

Phrasing a question so it gets picked

A good question is short and specific. An editor needs context, not your entire article.

1. Quote the whole sentence where the doubt arose.
2. Say what exactly bothers you: a comma, a spelling, a case.
3. Tell them how you write it now and why you are unsure.
4. Do not pack five different questions into one message.

That format helps an editor grasp the topic fast, and the channel readers get a useful explanation later. ✅

What the bot will not do

It does not proofread long texts. A thesis, a contract or a book needs a proper edit by a specialist. A single short question cannot stand in for that.

Leave personal data, document numbers and confidential contract fragments out of your messages. If you need an example, swap real names and figures for made up ones. 🔒

Why editors' explanations are worth reading

Russian rules come with many exceptions, and reference books sometimes disagree. An explanation from a working editor shows the rule and also how to act in disputed cases.

If you write for work, build a habit: spot a doubt, jot it down, send it to the bot, read the answer later in the channel. After a couple of months you will notice fewer mistakes. 📚

While you wait for an answer

Check your doubt in a few reference sources. If they agree, you may not need to ask. If they contradict each other, that is exactly the case this bot exists for.

One last thing: patience. Editors choose questions by hand, so a reply may take time and may not come for every message.

Keep a separate note for the tricky cases you meet most often. Soon you will have your own list of dangerous words, and you will start checking exactly those. 📝

For people who write for websites or newsletters, such a list saves plenty of proofreading time.