"Cockrum" is a rare, obscure word that refers to a type of ale-drinking vessel. The phonetic transcription of this word, as per the International Phonetic Alphabet, is /ˈkɒkrum/. The spelling of the word can be explained using phonetic transcription, which indicates that the "ck" sound is pronounced as /k/ and not /s/, as in the word "soccer." Further, the "u" in "rum" is pronounced as /ʌ/ instead of "oo," as in the word "room." Overall, the spelling of "cockrum" reflects its historical and dialectal usage.