regulationvsreputationWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,781
“regulation” frequency rank
#3,193
“reputation” frequency rank
6974
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature regulation reputation
Definition The act of regulating or the condition of being regulated. What somebody or something is known for.

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
regulation
10 ch
reputation

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. regulation (/ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/) and reputation (/ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6974, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

regulation is recorded at frequency rank #3,781, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/. reputation is at rank #3,193, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/.

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 6974, this pair ranks #509,169 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of regulation vs reputation

Shared letters: aeinortu. Private to "regulation": gl. Private to "reputation": p.

"regulation" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVC  ·  "reputation" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • regulationergulation · reggulation · regluation · regualtion · regulaiton · regulasion · regulatino · regulationn
  • reputationerputation · repputation · reptuation · repuattion · reputaiton · reputasion · reputatino · reputationn

Frequency comparison

regulation#3,781
reputation#3,193

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "regulation" and "reputation" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/ versus /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "regulation" or "reputation"?
"reputation" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,193 in our English list, against #3,781 for "regulation". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering regulation vs reputation

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 “regulation” 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