The spelling of the word "hij" can be phonetically explained as /hɪdʒ/. The word is commonly used in Dutch and translates to "she" in English. The pronunciation of the word is similar to "hidje" where the "j" sounds like the English "y." In Dutch, the spelling of "ij" is considered to be a separate vowel with its own unique sound that is different from both "i" and "j."