The spelling of the phrase "art a quandary" can be confusing for many people due to the use of an unusual pronunciation of the word "a". In IPA phonetic transcription, the phrase is transcribed as /ɑrt ə kwɑn.dəri/. The /ɑ/ represents the "ah" sound, which is typically used for the indefinite article "a". However, in this case, the /ə/ sound is used, which sounds like a schwa and is less emphasized. This difference in pronunciation can make it difficult for non-native speakers to understand the phrase.