A Cognitive-Orthographic Analysis of Spelling Errors in Descriptive Writing among Indonesian EFL Students
Abstract
This study investigates the types of spelling errors found in descriptive texts written by Indonesian EFL learners and examines the linguistic factors contributing to these errors. Using a descriptive qualitative design with an error analysis approach, the study analyzed 39 spelling errors produced by 24 eleventh-grade students at SMA Muhammadiyah Kutoarjo. The errors were classified based on the Surface Strategy Taxonomy, including omission, substitution, addition, and transposition. The findings revealed that omission was the most frequent error type (38.46%), followed by substitution (30.77%), addition (20.51%), and transposition (10.26%). The analysis indicates that students’ spelling difficulties are strongly influenced by the inconsistency of English orthography and interference from Indonesian phonological patterns. The findings also suggest that learners tend to rely on phonetic spelling strategies when dealing with unfamiliar English words. Although limited by a small sample size and a single educational context, this study provides valuable insights into the orthographic challenges experienced by Indonesian EFL learners. The study further offers pedagogical implications for EFL teachers to provide more explicit instruction and targeted feedback on problematic spelling patterns, particularly silent letters and vowel combinations, to improve students’ writing accuracy.
References
AlAmir, B. (2026). Beauriful harts or beautiful hearts: Linguistic pattern analysis of misspellings of Arab EFL writers. Cogent Education, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2598729
Almaiman, I. (2024). Spelling difficulties among EFL students: An error analysis framework using computer software- the spelling sensitivity score (SSS). World Journal of English Language, 14(4), 437. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v14n4p437
Almurashi, S. (2023). Analysis of the most common spelling errors in English for Saudi Students: A case study of fondation year students. Getsempena English Education Journal, 10(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v10i1.2081
Anggraeni, A. (2022). Teaching writing descriptive text using picture and picture methode through padlet application. Professional Journal of English Education, 5(4). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v5i4.p828-836
Batubara, S. F., & Fithriani, R. (2023). Exploring EFL students’ challenges in academic writing: The case of Indonesian higher education. Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa, Dan Sastra, 9(1), 704–709. https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v9i1.2605
Cidrim, L., Batista, A. O., Madeiro, F., & Capellini, S. A. (2024). Analysis of spelling errors from the ‘dyslexic sight words’ list. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1160247
Fakhrudin, M. H., Dzulfikri, D., & Mustofa, M. (2023). Exploring lexical errors of Indonesian EFL students in writing recount texts. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 8(1), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v8i1.1003
Fatwassani, R., Rohimajaya, N. A., El-Muslimah, A. H. S., Hamer, W., & Ma’mun, N. (2025). The influence of English songs on students’ spelling accuracy. Journal of Research in English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 1(2), 88–104. https://doi.org/10.65431/jrell.v1i2.28
Febriani, Y. H. (2024). An analysis of students’ problems on writing descriptive text at ten grade of SMA NU 1 Tarakan. Jurnal Borneo Humaniora, 7(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.35334/borneo_humaniora.v7i1.6637
Hapsari, E. W., Sudarman, S., & Utami, S. (2022). Sources of students’ errors in EFL writing in indonesia. JADEs Journal of Academia in English Education, 3(2), 141–160. https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v3i2.4678
Haryadi, R. N., & Aminuddin, M. (2023). The role of English in preparing students to face global challenges. JIIP - Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 6(11), 9615–9621. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i11.3167
Heyer, V. (2021). Below the surface: The application of implicit morpho-graphic regularities to novel word spelling. Morphology, 31(3), 243–260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11525-020-09370-6
Imtiaz, M., Hassan, K. H. U., & Akmal, F. (2023). Analyzing spelling errors committed by English as a Second Language (ESL) learners at secondary school level. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 3(2), 181–189. https://doi.org/10.54183/jssr.v3i2.246
Ismayanti, U., Susilowati, R., Nurbaiti, Santi, Selvi, & Denada, D. (2021). The correlation between vocabulary mastery and students’ achievement in writing descriptive text at the eighth graders of SMP Negeri 3 Kotabumi in academic year 2020/2021. Edukasi Lingua Sastra, 19(2), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.47637/elsa.v19i2.396
Kahn-Horwitz, J., & Goldstein, Z. (2024). English foreign language reading and spelling diagnostic assessments informing teaching and learning of young learners. Language Testing, 41(1), 60–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322231162838
Kahn-Horwitz, J., & Harel, J. (2026). Exposure to word spelling and English foreign language vocabulary acquisition. Reading and Writing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-026-10823-3
Khalifa, S. H. M., & Abusrafa, M. (2023). Investigating spelling errors committed by EFL students at the University of Tripoli. Bani Waleed Journal of Humanities and Applied Sciences, 8(2), 595–610. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.58916/jhas.v8i2.484
Masagus, S., & Syahri, I. (2022). Errors on EFL students’ paragraph writings. International Journal of English and Applied Linguistics (IJEAL), 2(3), 379–386. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v2i3.1802
Masruddin, M., & Nasriandi, N. (2022). Lexical and syntactical errors performed by junior high school student in writing descriptive text. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 10(1), 1094–1100. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v10i1.3024
Muhassin, M., Hidayah, R., Hidayati, D. A., & Pradana, S. A. (2020). Investigating spelling errors among Indonesian EFL secondary school students. English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, 13(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.24042/ee-jtbi.v13i2.7699
Muman, M., & Rahayu, D. (2025). Exploring EFL students’ challenges in writing descriptive texts: A case study of junior high school learners in Cimahi. Journal of English Language and Education, 10(5), 781–788. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v10i5.1595
Pratama, R., Rahmawati, Y., & Khatimah, K. (2026). Investigating the effect of genre-based approach on senior high school students’ writing skills. Journal of English Language Teaching in Indonesia, 14(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.22460/eltin.v14i1.p29-40
Putra, M. Y. A. Y., Hanafi, M., & Astutik, Y. M. (2024). Analyzing spelling errors in EFL: insights from indonesian junior high school students. ICONELT, 4(1), 687–702. https://proceedings.uinsa.ac.id/index.php/ICONELT/article/view/3617
Russak, S. (2020). The contribution of cognitive and linguistic skills in L1 and EFL to English spelling among native speakers of Arabic and Hebrew. Cognitive Development, 55, 100924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100924
Sabtan, Y. M. N., & Elsayed, A. M. A. (2019). Common writing errors among EFL students at Dhofar University in Oman: An analytical study. International Journal of English Linguistics, 9(2), 402. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v9n2p402
Sari, D. P. (2022). Exploring EFL students’ substance error on descriptive essay . EDUSAINTEK: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sains Dan Teknologi, 9(2), 537–550. https://doi.org/10.47668/edusaintek.v9i2.544
Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 10(1–4), 209–231.
Selvaraja, D., & Yaccob, N. S. (2026). Thematic spelling tests: Exploring EFL teachers’ opinions on students’ vocabulary acquisition among primary EFL students. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(12), 1592–1606. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.91200119
Simanjuntak, A. A., & Tambunan, R. W. (2025). Evaluating genre-based instruction through error analysis: Insights from vocational students’ procedure texts. JAMI: Jurnal Ahli Muda Indonesia, 6(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.46510/jami.v6i1.368
Yahrif, M., Sirajuddin, S., & Dahniar. (2025). Exploring students’ common errors in writing recount texts: A case study at junior high school. INTERACTION: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa, 12(4), 644–660. https://doi.org/10.36232/interactionjournal.v12i4.4076
Yani, J., Ferdiawan, F., Tazali, I., Wibowo, H., & Liswati, K. N. (2025). An analysis of Indonesian spelling errors in short stories written by eleventh-grade students at SMA Nurul Ibrahimi Rantauprapat. Interaction: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa, 12(1), 938–945. https://doi.org/10.36232/interactionjournal.v12i1.3223
Yusuf, S. B., Jiancheng, Q., & Hossain, A. (2025). Investigating EFL learners’ perceptions of using Grammarly in enhancing writing proficiency in Bangladesh. Sage Journals, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251352922
Copyright (c) 2026 Erika Salsabila, Sudar, Ismawati Ike Nugraeni
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
In submitting the manuscript to the FOSTER: Journal of English Language Teaching, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- The publication has been approved by the author(s) and by responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and copyright agreement.
License and Copyright Agreement
Authors who publish with FOSTER: Journal of English Language Teaching agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the FOSTER: Journal of English Language Teaching right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the FOSTER: Journal of English Language Teaching published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
.jpg)
.jpg)
1.jpg)
.jpg)
