regular

/ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/

//ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"regular" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“regular” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,205. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,205
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to secular).

Corpus desk

Index EN-regular · regular · English

regular · rank #1,205 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,205
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH product

Nearest frequency peer: product (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “regular”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “regular” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

regular vs regulate
75% similar
regular vs regularly
78% similar
regular vs regulator
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for regular
PropertyValue
Headwordregular
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,205
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “regular” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). regular lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around regular (IPA /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,205 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 20 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for regular, with forms such as "ergular", "reggular", and "regluar". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "regulate", "regularly", "regulator", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reguler, from Anglo-Norman reguler, Middle French reguler, regulier, and their source, Latin rēgulāris (“continuing rules for guidance”), from rēgula (“rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“move in a straight line”). The correct English form is regular, spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to secular).
  2. 2
    Having a constant pattern; showing evenness of form or appearance.
  3. 3
    Both equilateral and equiangular; having all sides of the same length, and all (corresponding) angles of the same size
  4. 4
    Whose faces are all congruent regular polygons, equally inclined to each other.
  5. 5
    Demonstrating a consistent set of rules; showing order, evenness of operation or occurrence.
  6. 6
    Of a moon or other satellite: following a relatively close and prograde orbit with little inclination or eccentricity.
  7. 7
    Well-behaved, orderly; restrained (of a lifestyle etc.).
  8. 8
    Happening at constant (especially short) intervals.
  9. 9
    Following a set or common pattern; according to the general rules of a given language.
  10. 10
    Having the expected characteristics or appearances; normal, ordinary, standard.
  11. 11
    Permanently organised; being part of a set professional body of troops.
  12. 12
    Having bowel movements or menstrual periods at constant intervals in the expected way.
  13. 13
    Exemplary; excellent example of; utter, downright.
  14. 14
    Having all the parts of the same kind alike in size and shape.
  15. 15
    Isometric.
  16. 16
    Riding with the left foot forward.
  17. 17
    Such that every set in its domain is both outer regular and inner regular.
  18. 18
    Noetherian and such that the minimal number of generators of the maximal ideal is equal to the Krull dimension of the ring.
  19. 19
    Such that the local ring at every point is regular.
  20. 20
    A von Neumann regular: such that every left module (over the given ring) is flat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how regular appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. regular clergy, in distinction from the secular clergy
  2. A quarter of a million strong in 1680, the clergy was only half as large in 1789. The unpopular regular clergy were the worst affected.

Etymology

From Middle English reguler, from Anglo-Norman reguler, Middle French reguler, regulier, and their source, Latin rēgulāris (“continuing rules for guidance”), from rēgula (“rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“move in a straight line”).

Antonyms

irregularnon-regularnonregular

This word in other languages

regular(Español)régulier(Français)regulär(Deutsch)regular(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ergular
  • reggular
  • regluar
  • regualr
  • regularr
  • regullar
  • regulra
  • reuglar
  • rgeular
  • rregular

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of regular - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ergular2reggular1regluar2regualr2regularr1regullar1regulra2reuglar2
Edit distance from "regular"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "regular"?
"regular" is spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/.
What does "regular" mean?
As an adjective, "regular" means: Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to secular).
What words are commonly confused with "regular"?
"regular" is commonly confused with "regulate", "regularly", "regulator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "regular"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "regular" is /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "regular"?
From Middle English reguler, from Anglo-Norman reguler, Middle French reguler, regulier, and their source, Latin rēgulāris (“continuing rules for guidance”), from rēgula (“rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“move in a straight li... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "regular", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

product#1,204stories#1,208workers#1,210anymore#1,212

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

France10 variantsopening10 variantssports10 variantsapproach10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "regular". Here's where to go from here.

  • "regular" maps to 3 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "regulate". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,205 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list