The spelling of the phrase "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary" is not too challenging, but its pronunciation can be tricky. The first word "shorter" is pronounced as "ˈʃɔːtə", with a long 'o' sound followed by the 'r' sound. The second word "Oxford" is pronounced as "ˈɒksfəd", with a short 'o' sound followed by the 'ks' sound. The third word "English" is pronounced as "ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ", with the 'ng' sound in the middle. The last word "dictionary" is pronounced as "ˈdɪkʃənəri", with the 'k' sound followed by the 'sh' sound.