The spelling of "were the track of" is relatively straightforward when using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). "Were" is spelled /wɜr/, with the "e" pronounced like the "e" in "her". "The" is spelled /ðə/, with the "th" pronounced as in "those". "Track" is spelled /træk/, with the "a" pronounced as in "cat". "Of" is spelled /ʌv/, with the "o" pronounced like the "u" in "sun". Together, the phrase's phonetic transcription reads /wɜr ðə træk ʌv/.