The pronunciation of the word “свекла” (beetroot) with the stress on the second syllable is becoming increasingly common and may eventually become the standard pronunciation. This is according to Maria Kalenchuk, Doctor of Philological Sciences and Chief Researcher at the Vinogradov Institute of the Russian Language of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Kalenchuk stated that the “свеклА” (beetroot with stress on the second syllable) pronunciation is colloquial and could eventually replace or become equal to the currently accepted “свЁкла” (beetroot with stress on the first syllable) variant.

Currently, dictionaries only recognize the stress on the first syllable as correct, and the pronunciation “свеклА” (beetroot with stress on the second syllable) is not recommended.

The potential shift in the stress of “свекла” (beetroot) isn’t the only pronunciation change observed in the Russian language. Kalenchuk previously noted a possible future change in the stress of the word “звонит” (rings). She explained a trend over the past century where verbs ending in “ить” have shifted stress from the ending to the root. While the change in “звонит” (rings) started later, the correct pronunciation still emphasizes the second syllable.