Which is Correct: 'dogovory' or 'dogovora'?

Both forms are used, but only one aligns with the strict literary standard.

Most authoritative sources, including the prestigious Russian Academy of Sciences' orthographic dictionary edited by V. V. Lopatin, state that the stress in the word dogovor falls on the third o: dogovóр. This stress pattern remains consistent across all singular case forms: bez dogovóra (without a contract), soglasno dogovóru (according to the contract).

Regarding the plural form, the normative variants also maintain the stress on the third syllable: dogovóry, bez dogovórov, soglasno dogovóram.

The alternative form dogovorá, commonly heard in everyday speech, does not conform to strict literary norms. Although many consider this a recent development, the issue has existed for over half a century. For instance, the 1959 reference book Russian Literary Pronunciation and Stress, edited by R. I. Avanesov and S. I. Ozhegov, acknowledges the forms dógovor and dogovorá as acceptable but marks them as colloquial.

Therefore, the dogovorá variant is appropriate only in informal spoken communication. In all other contexts, especially in writing, use the literary form of the noun — dogovóry. To help remember, here is a playful rhyme:

We're not cheats, nor thieves,

We signed the dogovóry (contracts).

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