The spelling of "was the family" in IPA is /wɒz ðə ˈfæmɪli/. "Was" is pronounced with a short "a" sound and a "z" sound at the end. "The" is pronounced with a voiced "th" sound followed by a short "e" sound. "Family" is pronounced with a short "a" sound, a voiced "m" sound and a long "i" sound. Altogether, the word is pronounced as "wahz thee fam-uh-lee." This phrase is often used to refer to a specific family or group of people.