Which to use
“regulates” is a verb and “regulator” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,435
- “regulates” frequency rank
- #12,668
- “regulator” frequency rank
- 32103
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | regulates | regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of regulate | A device that controls or limits something. |
Letter map: regulates vs regulator
Shared letters muted; letters that set regulates and regulator apart highlighted. Shared run: 7.
Grammar separator: regulates vs regulator
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: regulates is averb and regulatoranoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32103, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
regulates is recorded at frequency rank #19,435, classified as averb. regulator is at rank #12,668, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/.
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 32103, this pair ranks #340,600 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of regulates vs regulator
Shared letters: aeglrtu. Private to "regulates": s. Private to "regulator": o.
"regulates" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "regulator" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "regulates" and "regulator" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "regulates" vs "regulator" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "regulates" and "regulator".
- Full dictionary entry for "regulates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "regulator" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #340,600 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "regulates" and "regulator" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "regulate vs regulates". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #340,600 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.