The spelling of the word 'raed' may seem confusing, but it actually follows the rules of English phonetics. The correct transcription of this word is /rɛd/, as the 'ae' combination represents the short 'e' sound. The 'r' and 'd' sounds are both pronounced as expected, with the 'r' being an alveolar approximant (similar to the 'w' sound) and the 'd' being a voiced dental plosive. So even though the spelling may throw you off, the pronunciation of 'raed' is actually quite simple!