The spelling of the word "was substantive" is not very difficult once you break it down phonetically. The initial sound "w" is quite straightforward and is followed by "uh" as in "up." The next sound is "z" followed by "suhb-stuhn-tiv." This is pronounced with the "uh" sound again, the "b" sound, followed by "stuhn" as in "sun," and finally "tiv" as in "live." Altogether, "was substantive" is pronounced as wuhz suhb-stuhn-tiv.