ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Phonetic transcription

Phonetic transcription is a way of writing the sounds that we make when we talk. It uses special symbols instead of regular letters, so we can tell which sound we are trying to make. For example, the sound 'ch' in the word 'chat' is written as 't͡ʃ'. A phonetic transcription helps us write words more accurately, so we know exactly how to pronounce them.