The word "sowte" has an unusual spelling, but can be broken down into phonetic sounds to understand its pronunciation. It is pronounced /soʊt/ (s-oh-t) and means "sweet" in Middle English. The Middle English spelling was "swete," but over time, the "w" was replaced with an "ou" to create the modern spelling. Despite its unusual spelling, "sowte" is still recognized as an archaic form of "sweet" and can be found in some historical texts.