regulatedvsregulatesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“regulated” and “regulates” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,384
“regulated” frequency rank
#19,435
“regulates” frequency rank
26819
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature regulated regulates
Definition simple past and past participle of regulate third-person singular simple present indicative of regulate

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set regulated and regulates apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
regulated
9 ch
regulates

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

regulated and regulates are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by a single letter - d in “regulated” becomes s in “regulates”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26819, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

regulated is recorded at frequency rank #7,384, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɹɛɡjəleɪtɪd/. regulates is at rank #19,435, tagged as averb.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 26819, this pair ranks #383,832 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of regulated vs regulates

Shared letters: aeglrtu. Private to "regulated": d. Private to "regulates": s.

"regulated" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC  ·  "regulates" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • regulatedergulated · reggulated · regluated · regualted · regulaetd · regulatde · regulatedd · regulatted
  • regulatesergulates · reggulates · regluates · regualtes · regulaets · regulatess · regulatse · regulattes

Frequency comparison

regulated#7,384
regulates#19,435

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "regulated" and "regulates" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by a single letter - d in “regulated” becomes s in “regulates”, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "regulated" or "regulates"?
"regulated" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,384 in our English list, against #19,435 for "regulates". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering regulated vs regulates

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “regulated” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list