The phrase "were mend" is not a correct spelling. The correct spelling is "We're men," which means "we are men." The apostrophe represents the omitted letters "a" and "re." The phonetic transcription of "We're men" in IPA is /wɪ(ə)r mɛn/, where /wɪ(ə)r/ represents the contraction of "we are" and /mɛn/ represents the plural form of "man." Proper spelling and pronunciation are essential for effective communication.