Relatively few error studies deal in depth with orthography. Emam (1972) undertook a contrastive analysis of English and colloquial Egyptian Arabic which covered spelling as well as pronouns, punctuation, nouns, prepositions, adjectives, articles, etc. Ibrahim (1978), attempted to account for the spelling errors that occur in the writing of a group of English major students at the University of Jordan.

Lack of attention to spelling errors by ELT specialists is not just restricted to Arab learners, but also applies to all learners of English as a second language, Ibrahim (1978).

Our experience in teaching English at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia has highlighted certain errors in orthography that frequently occur in the students' writing. The significance of such errors has been seriously underestimated in the academic literature. The objective of this study is to examine the common spelling problems that characterise the writing of 150 subjects at King Faisal University. We will attempt to show why such errors have occurred. Then we will try to determine the magnitude of the problem in this particular  situation. Finally we will give suggestions and recommendations that might be instrumental in minimising the problems and in opening up new ways of dealing with orthographic errors in EFL situations in general.