Characteristics of early spelling errors in Arabic: the impact of visual-orthographic features

Early spelling acquisition research has traditionally focused on linguistic aspects such as phonology and morphology, particularly within European alphabetic writing systems. Recently, however, a growing body of researchers has begun to emphasize the significance of writing system-specific dimensions and the challenges that they may pose for young spellers. The current study aimed to explore the impact of Arabic's distinctive visual-orthographic features (the similarity of basic letter forms, ligaturing, allography, non-linearity, and letter formation) along with other universal factors, primarily phonology, on early Grade 1 spelling performance. The study delved into spelling errors in a structured word dictation task among a representative sample of 124 Arabic-speaking first graders. Spelling errors were analyzed according to three major categories relevant to this developmental stage: Visual-orthographic, phonological, and peripheral error categories. The results showed that while phonological errors were the most common, visual-orthographic errors constituted a significant proportion of children’s errors, highlighting the significant role of Arabic script's characteristics in spelling, particularly in the early stages of literacy acquisition. These findings suggest that, alongside promoting phonological awareness, there should be a concerted effort to incorporate instruction on visual-orthographic characteristics to ensure effective spelling acquisition.