What most people don't realise with the written word is it is an approximation of the spoken word.
Each letter is a symbol for a sound.
The spelling of the word is the writers attempt to imitate the word as it is spoken,a sort of code.
The spoken language has a great deal of information in it,tone,emphasis,and all the other clues we use to convey meaning are difficult to put into writing.
A local Knows how to say a name ie the way every one else does in the area,a visitor pronounces the name as it is written.
We are taught how to sound letters in school and teachers tell us a word should be pronounced according to the letters in it.