[namaemuta]

That happens with Spanish. Most of the time is WYSIWYS (What you see is what you say).

[layoutIfNeeded]

It’s called phonemic orthography: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonemic_orthography

I’m also from a country with such a language, and as a kid I couldn’t understand the concept of spelling bee competitions in American movies, like, what’s even the point?

[namaemuta]

Thanks, I didn't know it was called that. And yes, I had the same impression about spelling contests