The spelling of the word "saul sal" may seem confusing at first, but it becomes clear when you consider the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription. In IPA, "saul sal" is transcribed as /sɔl sæl/. The "s" sound at the beginning of both words is straightforward, but the vowel sounds can be tricky. "Saul" has an open-mid back rounded vowel /ɔ/, while "sal" has a near-open front unrounded vowel /æ/. Understanding the IPA transcription helps us to accurately spell and pronounce words.