The spelling of the word "hittee" may seem confusing at first glance, but it can be easily explained using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) phonetic transcription. The word is pronounced /hɪˈtiː/, with the stress on the second syllable. The spelling "hittee" indicates that the word is a passive form of the verb "hit" and that the person who was hit is the subject of the sentence. Though this spelling may seem unusual, it follows typical English language conventions for forming passive verb forms.