The spelling of the word "ratchford" is quite straightforward once you understand the phonetic pronunciation. According to the IPA phonetic transcription, it is pronounced as /ˈrætʃ.fərd/. The first syllable begins with the sound of the letter "r," followed by a short "a" sound, and the "tch" sound representing the "t" and "sh" sounds combined. The second syllable has the "f" sound and the "er" sound, while the final syllable has the "d" sound. Overall, the spelling reflects the unique sound combination in the word.