The spelling of the word "ballenger" is quite straightforward, and can be easily explained using phonetic transcription. The first syllable, "bal", is pronounced with a short "a" sound, as in "cat" (IPA symbol /æ/). The second syllable, "len", contains a schwa sound (/ə/), which is a neutral vowel sound that is barely pronounced. Finally, the third syllable, "ger", is pronounced with a hard "g" sound (/g/), followed by a short "e" sound (IPA symbol /ɛ/). Altogether, the word is pronounced as /ˈbælən.dʒər/.