The spelling of the word "ehlke" can be explained using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The first sound, "eh," is represented by the IPA symbol /ɛ/, which is a short "e" sound. The second sound, "lk," is represented by the IPA symbols /lk/, which together create a consonant cluster. The final sound, "e," is represented by the IPA symbol /i/, which is a long "e" sound. Altogether, the IPA transcription for "ehlke" is /ɛlk-i/.