Encoding (spelling) means generating the written form of a word from the oral/spoken form. Decoding (reading) means generating the spoken form of a word from its written form. For most people, decoding is easier, because, in English, there are multiple spellings for many sounds, so, while one can more readily recognize a spelling as a representation of a phoneme, selecting the correct grapheme (spelling) for a sound is trickier.

...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...