The spelling of the phrase "were one case" can be explained phonetically using IPA. The first word, "were," is pronounced /wər/, with a schwa sound as the vowel and a strong /r/ sound at the end. The second word, "one," is pronounced /wʌn/, with a short /ʌ/ vowel sound and a clear /n/ sound at the end. The final word, "case," is pronounced /keɪs/, with a long /eɪ/ sound and a clear /s/ sound at the end. These three words come together to form the phrase "were one case."