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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,205 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,205
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to secular).

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for regular is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,205 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 20 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “regular”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-G-U-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “regulate” - see the side-by-side comparison. regular vs regulate
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list