What are phonetically regular words?

Phonetically regular words are words whose pronunciation is predictable based on their spelling (and vice versa). Their sounds consistently align with the common rules of pronunciation in a given language. They don't have irregularities, silent letters, or unusual sound-letter correspondences that deviate from typical patterns.

In contrast, phonetically irregular words have unpredictable pronunciations, often due to historical changes in the language. For example, "though" and "cough" are irregular because their spellings don't directly correspond to their pronunciations.

Essentially, phonetically regular words are easier to learn to read and spell because you can apply consistent rules, while irregular words require memorization.