This poem illustrates the various English spelling complexities.

Transcribe it into phonetic symbols and read it aloud.

Beware of heard, a dreadful Word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead, it's said like bed, not beadfor goodness' sake don't call it 'deed'!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(they rhyme with suite and straight and debt).
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth, or brother,
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there's doze and rose and lose
-

Just look them up- and goose and choose,

And cork and work and card and ward
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cartCome, I've hardly made a start!

bwe v hd, dredfl wd

t lks lak bd nd sandz lak bd.
nd ded, ts sed lak bed, nt bid

f dns sek dnt kl t did!

wt at f mit nd ret nd ret
e ram w swit nd stret nd det.
m s nt m n m,
n b n b, br, br,
nd h z nt mt f e,
n dr nd f f ber nd pe,
nd en ez dz nd rz nd luz
-dst lk m p -nd us nd tuz,
nd kk nd wk nd kad nd wd
nd fnt nd frnt nd wd nd sd,
nd d nd nd wt nd kat
km, av hadli med stat!