So you have two different pronunciations [hat] and [hat]. Which one is which? Do you really expect to say "[hat] as in General American hot" and "[hat] as in Re

So you have two different pronunciations [hat] and [hat]. Which one is which? Do you really expect to say "[hat] as in General American hot" and "[hat] as in Received Pronunciation hat" every time? Isn't the IPA supposed to be an unambiguous transcription (so to say)?