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REET Language-I/II · Hindi

Spelling Correction (Vartani Shuddhi) — REET Hindi Notes

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Spelling correction (vartani shuddhi) is about identifying the standard, accepted way to write Hindi words, and it is asked in both REET's Hindi Language-I and Language-II papers. This page explains the most common mistakes — vowel-marks, anuswar-anunasik, sh-sh-s distinctions, and conjunct letters — with examples, so you can quickly spot the correct or incorrect word among four options in the exam.

  • 0 questions in REET 2024
  • Class 3–8 level
  • 9 min read
Verified 17 September 2026

How REET asks this topic

Vartani shuddhi (shabd shuddhi) is included in the official syllabus for both REET Hindi Language-I and Language-II, although REET 2024's question paper didn't have a direct question from this topic — so this page is built on the syllabus wording and standard Hindi grammar rules, said honestly upfront. Generally, this topic is asked as 'choose the word with correct spelling' or 'choose the word with incorrect spelling', testing mistakes like vowel-marks, anuswar-anunasik, sh-sh-s, and conjunct letters.

What is Spelling Correction and Why Does It Matter

Spelling is the standard, accepted way to write a word. Most Hindi spelling mistakes come from writing spoken pronunciation exactly as heard, while the spelling of many tatsam (Sanskrit-origin) words is decided not by everyday speech but by the rules of the word's original formation.

The Hindi vocabulary is mainly built from three sources — tatsam (words taken directly from Sanskrit, like कृपा, आशीर्वाद), tadbhav (words that changed from Sanskrit, like दूध, हाथ), and deshaj/foreign words (like कुर्सी, स्टेशन). Of these, tatsam words are bound by the strictest rules, so the exam also has the most room for mistakes in them.

Spelling correction holds special importance for a REET candidate becoming a teacher, since down the line they'll have to correct children's spelling in class — so this topic tests teaching-competence along with language-competence. In the exam, this topic is considered the one that gives the most marks in the least time, since the rules are limited and the same words repeat.

Common Vowel-related Mistakes

IncorrectCorrectRule
कीरणकिरणThe short 'इ' vowel-mark is correct here, not the long 'ई'
गुरूगुरुIn tatsam words, the final 'उ' is usually short, not the long 'ऊ'
रिषिऋषि'ऋ' is an independent vowel; in tatsam words, 'ऋ' replaces 'रि'
क्रपाकृपाThe 'ऋ' vowel-mark attaches only to the consonant 'र'; writing it as 'क्र' is incorrect
पुज्यपूज्यThe long 'ऊ' vowel-mark is correct here; writing the short 'उ' is incorrect
परिक्षापरीक्षाDropping the long 'ई' vowel-mark that comes before 'क्ष' is a common mistake

Common vowel-mark mistakes according to standard Hindi grammar.

Consonant and Vowel-Mark Related Mistakes

IncorrectCorrectRule
सिक्षाशिक्षाIn tatsam words, 'श' and 'ष' follow specific rules, not 'स'
प्रनामप्रणाम'न' following 'र' usually turns into 'ण' through retroflexion
बिचारविचार'ब' and 'व' have different pronunciations; tatsam words generally use 'व'
लडकालड़काUsing the nukta-marked 'ड़/ढ़' is necessary in the middle/end of a word
सन्यासीसंन्यासीThis word is formed from the sandhi of 'सम् + न्यास', so the anuswar must be kept; dropping the anuswar and writing only 'न' as 'सन्यासी' is incorrect
गृहणीगृहिणीForgetting the vowel-mark in the 'इणी' suffix in feminine tatsam words is a common mistake

Difference between Anuswar (ं) and Anunasik (ँ)

Anuswar (ं)
Used to show a nasal sound before the consonant that follows — as in संबंध, अंगूठा, गंगा
Anunasik (ँ)
Used to show the nasality of the vowel itself — as in चाँद, गाँव, माँ
Common Mistake
'चांद' is incorrect; the correct form is 'चाँद', because here the vowel itself is nasal, not an anuswar
Identification Test
Say the word slowly and listen — if the air escapes through the nose along with the vowel (like हँसना), a chandrabindu is needed; if there's a consonant right after (like the 'ग' before Gaṅgā in गंगा), an anuswar is needed

Conjunct Letters and Other Common Mistakes

Breaking up conjunct letters like क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र is a common mistake — as in writing 'क्षमा' as 'क्शमा' or 'त्रिभुज' as 'तरिभुज', both incorrect. Similarly, dropping a doubled consonant (like the double letter in सम्मान, उज्ज्वल) is also a common mistake, and it can even change the word's meaning — for example, 'समान' (equal) and 'सम्मान' (respect) are two different words.

Another common mistake is using the visarga (ः) incorrectly or dropping it — for example, tatsam words like 'स्वतः', 'अतः', 'प्रायः' need the visarga at the end, and removing it to write 'स्वत', 'अत', 'प्राय' is considered incorrect. Such words come up repeatedly in the exam, so it pays to memorise this list separately.

How to Teach This to Children

Classroom Activity

Write both the correct and incorrect forms of the same word on the board (like शिक्षा/सिक्षा) and have children circle the correct one — this strengthens visual recognition and children learn to spot the difference themselves.

Teaching Aids

Make 'correction cards' with the incorrect spelling on one side and the correct spelling on the other; a matching game works well in classes 3-5, and repeated play helps the spelling stick in long-term memory.

Common Misconception

Students often assume that writing should match pronunciation exactly (pronunciation-based writing), when the spelling of many tatsam words is actually decided by their Sanskrit origin, not by everyday speech — this difference needs to be clarified again and again with examples.

Assessment Idea

Give a weekly dictation (shrutalekh) of 10 words and correct it as a class — this surfaces recurring mistakes and lets the teacher plan the next week's lesson around them.

Trick to Remember

'After ra-kar, after ऋ, after ष, न usually becomes ण' — remembering this one line lets you quickly pick the correct spelling of many words like प्रणाम, कारण, परिणाम, चरण in the exam.

Practice Questions

Question 1

Which of the following words has the correct spelling?

  1. Aकीरण
  2. Bकिरण
  3. Cकरिण
  4. Dकिरन

Explanation

'किरण' correctly uses the short 'इ' vowel-mark; the remaining options have an incorrect vowel-mark or letter.

Question 2

Choose the word with incorrect ('अशुद्ध') spelling.

  1. Aगुरु
  2. Bगुरू
  3. Cआयु
  4. Dवायु

Explanation

The tatsam word 'गुरु' ends in a short 'उ', not a long 'ऊ'; so 'गुरू' is the incorrect form.

Question 3

The correct spelling of 'चांद' is—

  1. Aचाँद
  2. Bचांद्र
  3. Cचन्द
  4. Dचंद

Explanation

In the word 'चाँद', the vowel itself is nasal, so here it needs a chandrabindu (ँ), not an anuswar.

Question 4

The correct spelling of the word 'प्रनाम' is—

  1. Aप्रणाम
  2. Bप्रनाम्
  3. Cपरणाम
  4. Dप्रणामः

Explanation

The 'न' that follows 'र' turns into 'ण' by the rule of retroflexion, so the correct form is 'प्रणाम'.

Question 5

Choose the correctly spelled word.

  1. Aक्षमा
  2. Bक्शमा
  3. Cखसमा
  4. Dक्षमां

Explanation

'क्ष' is a standard conjunct letter; breaking it apart to write 'क्श' is incorrect.

Question 6

Class 4 students often write 'विशेष' as 'विसेस'. What kind of error does this show?

  1. Aउच्चारण के आधार पर लेखन, जिससे तत्सम श/ष ध्वनियाँ 'स' में बदल जाती हैं
  2. Bसंधि-विच्छेद की अशुद्धि
  3. Cसमास संबंधी अशुद्धि
  4. Dकारक की अशुद्धि

Explanation

Children write down the sound they hear in speech exactly as it sounds, while 'श' and 'ष' in tatsam words are fixed by standard spelling — so this is a pronunciation-based spelling mistake.

Question 7

The most suitable classroom activity for teaching spelling correction is

  1. Aकेवल परिभाषा रटवाना
  2. Bशुद्ध-अशुद्ध शब्द-युग्मों के भूल-सुधार कार्ड से अभ्यास कराना
  3. Cविद्यार्थियों को गृहकार्य में केवल निबंध लिखवाना
  4. Dवर्तनी पर कभी चर्चा न करना

Explanation

Practising with correct-incorrect word-pair correction cards (flash cards) gives visual comparison and repeated practice, which helps spelling stick permanently.

Question 8

What spelling feature in the word 'सम्मान' do students often leave out while writing?

  1. Aअनुस्वार
  2. Bद्वित्व (दोहरा) व्यंजन
  3. Cचंद्रबिंदु
  4. Dविसर्ग

Explanation

In 'सम्मान', the consonant 'म' appears twice (doubled); students often write it only once, turning it into 'समान', which even changes the meaning.

Question 9

The correct spelling of 'लडका' is—

  1. Aलड़का
  2. Bलडक़ा
  3. Cलडाका
  4. Dलड़्का

Explanation

'ड़' is a distinct sound formed by adding a nukta (़) to the base 'ड'; using it in the middle of the word is necessary.

Question 10

Choose the word with the correct spelling from below.

  1. Aआशीर्वाद
  2. Bआशिर्वाद
  3. Cआर्शीवाद
  4. Dआशीरवाद

Explanation

The correct form is 'आशीर्वाद', where the long 'ई' vowel-mark and the correct order of 'र्वा' both need attention — it is a word that comes up repeatedly in the exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many REET questions come from spelling correction?+

REET 2024's question paper didn't have a direct question on this topic, but it is included in the official Hindi Language-I/II syllabus, so it is worth preparing for future papers — topics like this often come up next time.

What's the difference between vartani and shabd shuddhi?+

Vartani refers to the correct order of a word's letters and vowel-marks, while shabd shuddhi also covers using the correct form of the word (with the appropriate suffix/prefix); the REET syllabus groups both together.

How do you tell श, ष and स apart?+

'स' is a dental sound and appears more in tadbhav/deshaj words, 'श' is palatal, and 'ष' is retroflex and mostly appears in tatsam words under the influence of ऋ/र् — as in कृष्ण, वर्षा, हर्ष.

How do you avoid mistakes between anuswar and anunasik in the exam?+

Wherever the vowel's own nasality is audible (like चाँद, हँसना), a chandrabindu (ँ) is used; wherever a nasal sound joins before the next consonant (like संबंध, गंगा), an anuswar (ं) is used. Saying the word slowly and listening makes this difference easy to catch.

What's the best way to remember spelling correction rules?+

Instead of rote-learning rules, remember 3-4 example words with each rule, and build a personal list of your own mistakes through weekly dictation (shrutalekh), reviewing it repeatedly — this is considered the most effective method.

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Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked