Author’s Column by Tymur Levitin — founder, director, and senior teacher of Levitin Language School / Start Language School by Tymur Levitin

Language. Identity. Choice. Meaning.

When learners approach Ukrainian, they often discover that some words look confusingly close — and yet they belong to different worlds of meaning. Today I want to highlight two pairs of such words:

  • покли́кання (poklykannia) vs посила́ння (posylannia)
  • вважа́ю (vvazhaju) vs раху́ю (rahuju)

These examples show how a tiny shift in root or usage can change everything.

Покликання vs Посилання

  • покли́кання (poklykannia) → vocation, calling, inner mission.
    • Root: кликати (klykaty) = to call, to summon.
    • Example: Його покликання — навчати дітей → His vocation is to teach children.
  • посила́ння (posylannia) → reference, link, sending.
    • Root: силати (sylaty) = to send.
    • Example: Посилання на джерело / інтернет-сторінку → A reference / a hyperlink to a source.

👉 Although they look similar, one speaks of a voice inside you, while the other of a direction outside you.

A Common Mispronunciation

Sometimes you may hear a distorted form “поклика́ння” (poklykannia with shifted stress), used as if it meant reference, link.
This is a mistake.

  • The only correct word for reference, hyperlink is посила́ння (posylannia).
  • The word покли́кання (poklykannia) exists, but it means vocation, calling.

The confusion comes from their visual and phonetic similarity. But in standard Ukrainian they are two separate, non-interchangeable words.

Вважаю vs Рахую

  • вважа́ю (vvazhaju) → I think, I believe, I consider.
    • Normative way to express an opinion.
    • Example: Я вважаю, що це правильно → I think this is right.
  • раху́ю (rahuju) → I count, I calculate.
    • Strictly about numbers or steps.
    • Example: Я рахую гроші / кроки → I count money / steps.

⚠️ Sometimes, under the influence of Russian (считать = to think / to count), people mistakenly say Я рахую, що… when they mean I think that….
This is incorrect in standard Ukrainian. The proper choice is always вважаю.

Cross-Language Parallels

  • English: consider (вважати) vs count (рахувати).
  • German: meinen / der Meinung sein vs zählen / rechnen.
  • Russian: one verb считать covers both → that’s why Ukrainian speakers sometimes get confused.

Why It Matters

For learners of Ukrainian, getting these distinctions right is not only about grammar — it’s about sounding natural and respectful to the language’s identity.

For native speakers, these words show how language carries culture: покликання is about destiny, посилання is about reference; вважаю is about thought, рахую is about numbers.

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© Tymur Levitin — founder, director, and senior teacher of Levitin Language School / Start Language School by Tymur Levitin
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