English sucks, the phonic rules are all over the place but; Is women the only word you do pronounce according to those rules, would you understand me if I said "women"? A key concept is having a reading buddy that can listen to you and try to understand.
I would say that the more frequent the word the more likely it is that the pronounciation is a tad different from spelling.
I would say that the more frequent the word the more likely it is that the pronounciation is a tad different from spelling.