The word "lykes" is spelled with a y sound in the beginning, represented by the IPA phonetic symbol /j/. This sound is followed by the long "i" sound, which is denoted by the symbol /aɪ/. Lastly, there is a "ks" blend, represented by the IPA symbols /ks/. Therefore, the spelling of "lykes" can be understood as /j-aɪ-ks/. While this word may not be familiar to everyone, it is important to understand the phonetic transcription of words in order to accurately read and pronounce them.