The spelling of the word "de fends" might seem confusing at first. However, the phonetic transcription in IPA (dɪˈfɛndz) can help to understand its spelling. The first syllable "de" is pronounced as "dih" with the vowel pronounced as a short "i" sound. The second syllable "fends" is pronounced as "fenz," with the vowel pronounced as a short "e" sound. With this knowledge, it becomes easier to comprehend the spelling of "de fends" as two separate syllables that are pronounced as they appear.