The spelling of the word "liefer" can be a bit confusing due to its pronunciation. In IPA phonetic transcription, this word is pronounced as /ˈlaɪ.fər/. It is an inflected form of the adjective "lvlief," which means "preferred" or "rather." The "-er" suffix is used to form the comparative degree of the adjective, hence "liefer" means "more preferred" or "rather." It is important to note that this word is not commonly used in modern-day English, and its usage is limited to more formal or literary contexts.