The correct spelling of the phrase "was of family" is /wʌz əv ˈfæmɪli/. It consists of two parts: the verb "was" in the past tense and the preposition "of" followed by the noun "family." The /w/ sound is spelled with the letter "w," the /ʌ/ sound is spelled with the letter "u" followed by a "v," the /æ/ sound is spelled with the letter "a," and the /ɪ/ sound is spelled with the letters "i" and "y." The IPA phonetic transcription helps to accurately represent the sounds of spoken language in written form.