The spelling of the word "PAPAU" may seem confusing at first, but it is actually quite easy to understand using phonetic transcription. The word is spelled with a "P" sound at the beginning, followed by the short "A" vowel sound, represented by the phonetic symbol ə. The second syllable has an "OW" diphthong sound, written as a combination of the phonetic symbols ɑʊ. Finally, the word ends with the short "U" vowel sound, written as the phonetic symbol ʊ. Overall, the word is spelled as P-A-P-A-U, with stress on the second syllable.