First, their difference in pronunciation lies in the rhythm of talking and the way vowels are pronounced. Indonesians speak at a much faster and more fragmented pace. They put stronger stress on each syllable. On the contrary, the way Malaysians talk sounds slower and softer. Furthermore, words are pronounced as spelled in Indonesian, yet the diction of vowels can vary in Malaysian. For example, tujuh (seven) is actually uttered as tojoh, and pilih (choose) is actually pileh. In addition, if an "a" is at the end of a word, it is often pronounced as a schwa. The letters “e” and “o” can also be enunciated as either /i/ or /u/. Another instance is their pronunciations of the word musik (music). In Indonesian, it is uttered like moosik, but in Malaysian, it is identical to that of English.

        Secondly, even if a word's pronunciation and meaning are the same in both languages, there can be variations in the spelling. (See picture 2.) The reason is the impact of the Dutch colonization of Indonesia and the British rule in Malaysia. For example, the first consonant of the English word “chase” was spelled as “ch” in Malaysian, but it was spelled as “tj” in Indonesian. In 1972, after both nations gained independence, a system was invented to unify the spelling. Malaysian kept the spelling “ch,” while Indonesian replaced it with “c.” To illustrate this spelling difference, let’s take the word “grandchild” for an instance. It is chuchu in Malaysian and cucu in Indonesian. However, in Indonesian, it was once spelled as tjutju. Although they sound the same, they are spelled differently in the two countries.