The spelling of the word "donlan" can be confusing due to the variety of vowel sounds used in English. In IPA phonetic transcription, the word is spelled /ˈdɒnlən/. The first syllable is pronounced with the short "o" sound, while the second syllable contains a schwa sound. The final syllable is pronounced with a short "a" sound followed by an "n" sound. It is important to remember that the spelling of English words does not always correspond directly with their pronunciation.