The spelling of the word "ponge" may seem unusual, but it follows the rules of English phonetics. Its IPA phonetic transcription is /pɑndʒ/. The "p" sound at the beginning is followed by the "o" sound as in "long", and then the "n" sound. The "g" sound at the end is pronounced with a soft "j" sound, similar to the final sound in "garage". Despite its seemingly odd spelling, "ponge" is a legitimate word, meaning a type of sponge in French or a dialect of Tamil.