pewbessent rewrites both halves
composedTwo guesses in one spelling, one at the opening vowel and one at the sc.
heard aspewbessent
spelledpubescent
saidpyoo-BESS-unt
The spelling is pubescent.
Both changes are a sensible response to something real in the sound, and applied together they leave a word with no visible connection to pubescere. What is on the page is nine letters of accurate phonetics.
Four more
pubessent pubescant pyoubessent pewbescent
The file is a short one. All 5 spellings of pubescent.