The spelling of the phrase "was case" may seem confusing to some due to the pronunciation difference between the words "was" and "case." However, this can be explained through the use of IPA phonetic transcription. The "a" in "was" is pronounced as /wʌz/ while the "a" in "case" is pronounced as /keɪs/. The spelling "was case" is used to indicate a situation that occurred or was observed, as in "That was case last week."