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saul

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "saul", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "saul" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "saul" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

Saul is aEnglishname. It means: The first king of Israel in the Old Testament. Pronounced /sɔːl/. Often confused with su and SL.

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

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Saul in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Saul is 4 letters long, classified as aname, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɔːl/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,137 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 5 documented wrong-spelling variants for Saul, with forms such as "asul", "salu", and "saull". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "su", "SL", "say", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hebrew שָׁאוּל (sha'úl, “asked for”). Doublet of Silas, which derived from Aramaic. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Saul, spelled S-A-U-L, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

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.

Etymology

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

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asul,salu,saull,ssaul,sual

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Saul

Misspelling Variants of "Saul"

asul4salu4saull5ssaul5sual4
Misspelling Variants of "Saul"

Frequency rank: #12,137 in English

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 name, "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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.