Spelling assessment is generally made through a correct/incorrect scoring system to quantify students’ spellings. This method does not provide precise information on orthographic knowledge and is not intended to guide teachers in their interventions. Relying on the phonographic, orthographic and morphographic dimensions, this theoretical article proposes a fine-grained spelling analysis procedure for both researchers in education and teachers. To explain its inner workings, some examples of spelling errors made by two elementary students are presented and analyzed. Lastly, advantages and limitations related to this procedure are discussed. This article contributes to a better understanding of the language abilities that are implied in spelling and provides foundation to assess more accurately orthographic knowledge.