The correct spelling of the phrase "wast in charge" is actually "was't in charge". The apostrophe represents the missing letters "a" and "e", which were originally part of the contraction "was't" for "was not". The pronunciation of this phrase is /wʌzənt ɪn tʃɑrdʒ/, with a schwa sound in the second syllable of "wasn't". This archaic construction can be found in literary works from the 18th and 19th centuries, but it is no longer used in modern English.