[logifail]

> [..] fail to spell "read"

That's an excellent example to pick :)

"I find that book very hard to read" ( "An oboe is a reed instrument" )

and

"I read that book yesterday" ( "My car is red" )

Q: How do you explain to a non-native speaker how to pronounce the word 'read' when you say it aloud...

[WaffleIronMaker]

> Q: How do you explain to a non-native speaker how to pronounce the word 'read' when you say it aloud...

Easy! just give them some latitude and longitude coordinates and tell them to match it up on what3words.com.