Phonetic refers to the study and representation of the sounds of human speech. It focuses on how sounds are produced, transmitted, and perceived. Phonetics is essential in linguistics, helping to understand the pronunciation of words in different languages and dialects. In phonetics, there are three main branches: articulatory, acoustic, and auditory. Articulatory phonetics examines how speech sounds are formed by the movement of the vocal organs. Acoustic phonetics analyzes the physical properties of sound waves, while auditory phonetics studies how the ear and brain perceive these sounds.