diff --git a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/editable_text.dart b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/editable_text.dart
index 8fcb788..5c96f23 100644
--- a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/editable_text.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/editable_text.dart
@@ -5385,8 +5385,8 @@
 
   final List<T> _list = <T>[];
 
-  // The index of the current value, or null if the list is emtpy.
-  late int _index;
+  // The index of the current value, or -1 if the list is empty.
+  int _index = -1;
 
   /// Returns the current value of the stack.
   T? get currentValue => _list.isEmpty ? null : _list[_index];