The spelling of the word "placzek" may seem confusing at first glance, but it can be easily explained with the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) phonetic transcription. In this transcription system, "placzek" is spelled /ˈplätʃek/. The "p" is pronounced as a voiceless bilabial stop, the "l" as a voiced alveolar lateral approximant, the "a" as an open front unrounded vowel, the "tʃ" as a voiceless palato-alveolar affricate, the "e" as an open-mid front unrounded vowel, and the "k" as a voiceless velar stop.