"Vi Putnam" is spelled in the English language using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as: /vaɪ pʌtnəm/. The 'v' sound is pronounced like the initial sound of the word "vine". The 'aɪ' is a diphthong (a combination of two vowel sounds) and is pronounced like the "ai" in "pain". The 'p' sound is pronounced like the "p" in "pen". The 'ʌ' is pronounced like the "u" in "up". Finally, the 'n' sound is pronounced like the "n" in "nut".