The short answer
The word revert already means “to go back to a previous state or position”. So saying revert back is like saying “go back back” — you are repeating the same idea twice. This mistake is called a tautology (saying the same thing twice in different words). Just say revert— the “back” is not needed.
Wrong vs. Right
Wrong
I will revert back to you by evening.
Right
I will revert to you by evening.
Wrong
The system reverted back to its original settings.
Right
The system reverted to its original settings.
Wrong
Please revert back with your confirmation.
Right
Please revert with your confirmation.
Wrong
He reverted back to his old habits.
Right
He reverted to his old habits.
Why Do People Say It?
In everyday speech and office emails, people add “back” to make the sentence feel more complete — as if “revert” alone sounds incomplete. It doesn't. The word is perfectly complete on its own.
This is especially common in Indian office English, where “I will revert back to you” has become almost a standard phrase. But in standard English — including IELTS, SSC, and formal writing — it is marked as an error every time.
How this appears in SSC CGL error spotting
“He promised that he would revert back to us / with the final report / before the meeting ended. / No error.”
(A) He promised that he would revert back to us ✓ Error here
(B) with the final report
(C) before the meeting ended
(D) No error
Answer: (A)— “revert back” is redundant. Remove “back”. The correct phrase is simply “revert to us”.
Same Mistake, Different Words
“Revert back” belongs to a family of errors called redundant expressions — where one word already contains the meaning of the other. All of these are wrong for the same reason:
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| return back | return | 'return' already means go back |
| repeat again | repeat | 'repeat' already means do again |
| end result | result | a result is always at the end |
| free gift | gift | a gift is always free |
| past history | history | history is always past |
| new innovation | innovation | an innovation is always new |
All of the above are tautologies — the second word repeats meaning that is already in the first.
Exam tip
Whenever you see two words that mean the same thing used together in an error-spotting question — “revert back”, “return back”, “repeat again” — mark it wrong immediately. These are planted errors, and there is no edge case where they become correct.