Difference between two declarations involving a pointer and an array

Question

What is the difference between int *a[3] and int (*a)[3]?

Answer 1

Alternatively, you can use cdecl, which outputs the meaning of variable declarations in English.

cdecl> explain int*a[3]

declare a as array 3 of pointer to int

cdecl> explain int (*a) [3]

declare a as pointer to array 3 of int