The word soul comes from the Hebrew word “nephesh” which means “a living being” in Genesis 2:7.  "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul."  So when God created man, Adam, the body was not the soul.  The breath of life from God was not the soul either.  Man became a soul when the two came together.  Think of the analogy of an electric light. The light bulb is the like the body and electricity is the breath of life from God.  When they come together the shining light would be like the soul.  The soul only exists when the two come together and can’t exist on its own.

On the other hand, the word spirit comes from the Hebrew “ruach” as in Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." It means wind or breath as in blowing really forcefully out of the mouth.  The spirit is the power of God giving life to the dust of the earth.