The spelling of the word "CATALS" can be explained using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The first syllable is pronounced "kæt", with the letter "a" representing the short "a" sound. The second syllable is pronounced like "als", with the letter "a" representing the short "a" sound again and the combination of "ls" making a sound like the letter "z". Therefore, the correct spelling of this word is "CATALS" and it is pronounced as "kæt-als".