The spelling of the word "LAWA" contains only two letters, but they represent three distinct sounds. The first sound is /l/, which is a voiceless alveolar lateral approximant. The second sound is /a/, which is an open front unrounded vowel. Finally, the last sound is /w/, which is a voiced labial-velar approximant. When combined, these sounds form the word "LAWA". While simple in spelling, it showcases the complexity of the English language and its varied phonemes.