The paper focuses on the specificity of functioning of a group of adjectives ending in -ovyy that are differently accentuated in the modern Russian language. Based on the concept of indispensable link between the norm and its variation, a two-stage experiment has been conducted, the results of which make it possible to characterize the specificity of accent variants given in orthoepic dictionaries and used in speech by native speakers of the Russian language. Test group of adjectives ending in -ovyy are considered from the viewpoint of their accentuation in reference books, and a comparative analysis of accentual options of lexical items is carried out on the basis of three orthoepic dictionaries of the Russian language. Various ways of correlation between the adjective alternants in the context are identified: 1) equal; 2) basic /acceptable; 3) stylistically different; 4) semantically different. The main conclusions are drawn about the wide degree of accent variation types, and consequently, on the dynamics of the accent norm in the given test group of lexical items. Both cases of complete coincidence and inconsistency of alternants in the analyzed reference book sources are indicated. The observations over the peculiarities of functioning of the considered adjectives in the student discourse, obtained as a result of the analysis of the students' survey, are also systematized. In general, we may conclude that students observe the accent norms when using the mentioned lexical items in speech.