Saul

/sɔːl/

//sɔːl// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"saul" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Saul” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,137. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,137
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The first king of Israel in the Old Testament.

Corpus desk

Index EN-saul · Saul · English

Saul · rank #12,137 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,137
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH satire

Nearest frequency peer: satire (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Saul”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Saul” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Saul vs su
25% similar
Saul vs SL
25% similar
Saul vs say
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Saul
PropertyValue
HeadwordSaul
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/sɔːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,137
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Saul”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Saullands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “satire” (#12,136), “seafood” (#12,138), “Sasha” (#12,135). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Saul” is #12,137. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around Saul (IPA /sɔːl/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #12,137 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Saul, with forms such as "asul", "salu", and "saull". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "su", "SL", "say", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hebrew שָׁאוּל (sha'úl, “asked for”). Doublet of Silas, which derived from Aramaic. The correct English form is Saul, spelled S-A-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The first king of Israel in the Old Testament.
  2. 2
    The Hebrew name of Apostle Paul in the New Testament.
  3. 3
    A male given name from Hebrew.
  4. 4
    A surname.
  5. 5
    A village in Fretherne with Saul parish, Stroud district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SO7409).
  6. 6
    A village near Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland.
  7. 7
    An unincorporated community in Perry County, Kentucky, United States.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Saul appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And it came to paſſe, when the euill ſpirit from God was vpon Saul, that Dauid tooke an harpe, and played with his hand: So Saul was refreſhed, and was well, and the euill ſpirit departed from him.
  2. Then Saul (who alſo is called Paul) filled with the holy Ghoſt, ſet his eyes on him

Etymology

From Hebrew שָׁאוּל (sha'úl, “asked for”). Doublet of Silas, which derived from Aramaic.

This word in other languages

Saúl(Español)Saül(Français)Saul(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asul
  • salu
  • saull
  • ssaul
  • sual

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Saul - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

asul2salu2saull1ssaul1sual2
Edit distance from "Saul"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Saul"?
"Saul" is spelled S-A-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /sɔːl/.
What does "Saul" mean?
As a proper noun, "Saul" means: The first king of Israel in the Old Testament.
What words are commonly confused with "Saul"?
"Saul" is commonly confused with "su", "SL", "say". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Saul"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Saul" is /sɔːl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Saul"?
From Hebrew שָׁאוּל (sha'úl, “asked for”). Doublet of Silas, which derived from Aramaic. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Saul", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sway#12,150peas#12,121veto#12,165maze#12,102

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

Kobe5 variantscoca5 variantscove5 variantsduel5 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list