A foul or a foul ( two words ) describes something dirty, smelly, or muddy, literally or figuratively--
There is a foul smell in the garage; we'll have to clean it out.
He has a foul mouth, and it gets him into trouble.
A foul may also mean a baseball that has been hit to the outside of the base line, or some other sporting error--
The umpire called it a foul, but he was sure the ball was inside the line.
He had to sit on the bench because he committed a foul.
Afoul or afoul ( one word, rhymes with a foul ) means to be entangled, or to come into conflict with--
He first ran afoul of the law when he was still in his teens.
The ship couldn't move with its lines afoul.
Now that you know that, you can say--
"He has a foul temper, and he's run afoul of the referee several times."
Note--not to be confused with "a fowl" ( rhymes with a foul ), meaning one ( a ) chicken or other domesticated bird commonly raised for food, such as a turkey, goose, or duck--
We might roast a fowl for Sunday dinner.
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