Abstract:
English spelling has always been described by many language researchers and teachers as a
daunting task especially for learners whose first language is not English. Accordingly, Gamotho
L1 learners commit serious errors when they spell out English words. This paper aims to study
Gamotho L1speakers spelling errors, causes and ways of mitigating the problems in writing
lesson: the case of grade nine at Bonke Beza secondary and preparatory school in Gamo zone,
SNNPR in 2014/2022. The study adopted descriptive survey design having both quantitative and
qualitative (concurrent mixed) approaches was employed. The research participants were 51
students included in the study using simple random sampling techniques, especially lottery
method and 6 teachers who taught English were selected using comprehensive sampling.
Students were requested to write a paragraph of 70 words on their favorite topic and also
dictation test was conducted later spelling errors were detected and differentiated into the types
of spelling errors. Moreover, six English language teachers were interviewed to know the cause
of spelling errors and the effective strategies to overcome spelling errors. The quantitative data
was analyzed by Cooks classification, because Cook classification is used to know the frequency
and percentage of errors. There is no need to know the mean and median of the error and the
qualitative data was analyzed by thematic process. The results showed that, about 2560 spelling
errors have been found in the subjects’ responses to the spelling test. The most frequent errors
were; substitution with the highest level of the total number of spelling errors 105.7% , omission
errors with 74.3% of total errors, insertion with 71 % of the total number of spelling errors, and
transposition with the lowest ratio 48.3 % of the total number of spelling errors. The results
showed that the most common spelling error made by the learners in this study was substitution
in the test item and the second highest type was omission. In addition, the study indicated that
the main causes of the students’ spelling errors were possibly attributed to the anomalous nature
of the English spelling system, the students’ lack of awareness of English spelling rules as well
as L1 interference. The findings suggest that spelling instruction should be emphasized while
teaching English and should also be integrated with the skills and sub skills of reading, writing,
pronunciation and vocabulary in order to develop the students’ spelling accuracy
