The spelling of the word "ETERAL" can be confusing for some people, but it actually follows the rules of English phonetics. The correct phonetic transcription of this word is /ɛtərəl/, which corresponds to three syllables: "e-tuh-ruhl." The first syllable starts with the open-mid front unrounded vowel sound /ɛ/ and the second is a schwa sound /ə/. The last syllable contains the vocalic r sound /r/ and the final unstressed syllable /əl/. With this transcription, it's easier to spell and pronounce the word properly.