The great majority of children and adolescents say they want to write correctly. In a survey commissioned by the tutoring provider Studienkreis and reported in RNW newspapers, 85 % answered that correct spelling is “important” or “very important” when asked how significant it is to write in accordance with the official rules. Girls were less likely than boys to view spelling as “not important” (8 % of girls versus 19 % of boys). Among students heading to gymnasium, 48 % considered correct spelling “very important”, while only 8 % said it was “not important”.
When asked why correct writing matters, 84 % said it was for “good grades in school”, and 45 % wanted to be taken seriously by others. Girls reported an additional motivation of better self‑esteem: 39 % said “so that I feel good” while 10 % of boys found spelling “annoying and unnecessary”. Gymnasium pupils more frequently linked error‑free writing with being taken seriously (56 %).
More than half of the respondents (54 %) admitted that spelling mistakes by others bother them, especially in chats and on influencer posts; the likelihood of this reaction increased with age.
A large majority also think that correct spelling will stay important despite autocorrect, voice dictation and AI tools. In response to the question “Will spelling remain important in the future?”, 79 % said “yes certainly” or “yes somewhat”. The highest agreement came from gymnasium students, and girls were slightly more convinced than boys (82 % versus 75 %).
Regarding career prospects, 86 % believe that correct spelling will give them better chances in the future, with 89 % of girls and 90 % of gymnasium‑bound children affirming this. Younger respondents were less certain, often replying “don’t know”.
The study, conducted by the market‑research firm KB & B Family Facts for Studienkreis, surveyed 1,011 children aged 8 to 16 in December 2025.
