Sometimes is easier to transmit how it should really sound using the phonetic alphabet (i.e. ˈtɔrtəs instead of tortoise), but it is a bit harder to write with normal keyboards, and you have to learn how each phoneme sound. Used a lot tophonetics.com when was trying to learn how some texts were supposed to be spoken.
Growing up somewhere with a strong accent (the Ozarks), I often find myself in the position of knowing exactly the right word to use in a situation, but having never heard it spoken aloud. I've always intended to learn how to use a phonetic alphabet (e.g., IPA) but haven't had an easy path to it.
