The word "herculius" is spelled with a "c" instead of a "k" because it comes from the Latin word "Hercules," which traditionally used a "c." The IPA transcription for "herculius" is /hɜːrˈkjuːliəs/. This means that the word is pronounced with an "er" sound before the first syllable, followed by a hard "k" sound in the second syllable. The final syllable is pronounced with a soft "sh" sound and an unstressed "i" sound.