A hall is a place, such as a corridor or a large room; to haul is to pull something heavy, and a haul is what you bring in. Haul has the u of pull, so think of effort.
The core difference
Hall is a corridor or large room, while haul is to drag something heavy or the amount you obtain.
- hall — a corridor, or a large room for gatherings: The wedding reception was held in the town hall.
- haul — to pull or drag something heavy: They hauled the fishing nets up onto the deck.
- haul — a quantity gained, such as a catch: It was a good day's fishing, with a decent haul of mackerel.
How to tell them apart
Hall is a noun for a space in a building. Haul can be a verb, which is about effort and movement, or a noun for what has been gathered or taken. If the word describes a place you stand in, use hall; if it describes pulling or a catch, use haul.
The mix-up shows up in phrases such as long haul and hauled up, which are always spelled with a u, and in compound words like town hall and hall of fame, which take the double l. In many accents the two words sound alike, so it is easy to slip.
