regulate

/ˈɹɛɡjəleɪ̯t/

//ˈɹɛɡjəleɪ̯t// verb

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

"regulate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“regulate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,716. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,716
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To dictate policy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-regulate · regulate · English

regulate · rank #8,716 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,716
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH psychiatric

Nearest frequency peer: psychiatric (-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 “regulate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “regulate” 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).

regulate vs relate
75% similar
regulate vs regulated
89% similar
regulate vs regulator
78% similar

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

Key facts for regulate
PropertyValue
Headwordregulate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɹɛɡjəleɪ̯t/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,716
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “regulate” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).regulatelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “psychiatric” (#8,715), “renaissance” (#8,717), “prospective” (#8,714). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around regulate (IPA /ˈɹɛɡjəleɪ̯t/), averb. Corpus frequency is #8,716 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for regulate, with forms such as "ergulate", "reggulate", and "regluate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "relate", "regulated", "regulator", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin regulatus, perfect passive participle of regulō (“to direct, rule, regulate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from regula (“rule”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”). Compare regle, rail. Displaced native Old English… The correct English form is regulate, spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To dictate policy.
  2. 2
    To control or direct according to rule, principle, or law.
  3. 3
    To adjust (a mechanism) for accurate and proper functioning.
  4. 4
    To put or maintain in order.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the laws which regulate the succession of the seasons
  2. The herdsmen near the frontier adjudicated their own disputes, and regulated their own police.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin regulatus, perfect passive participle of regulō (“to direct, rule, regulate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from regula (“rule”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”). Compare regle, rail. Displaced native Old English metegian.

This word in other languages

regular(Español)régler(Français)regeln(Deutsch)regular(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ergulate
  • reggulate
  • regluate
  • regualte
  • regulaet
  • regulatte
  • regullate
  • regultae
  • reuglate
  • rgeulate
  • rregulate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of regulate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ergulate2reggulate1regluate2regualte2regulaet2regulatte1regullate1regultae2
Edit distance from "regulate"

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 "regulate"?
"regulate" is spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛɡjəleɪ̯t/.
What does "regulate" mean?
As a verb, "regulate" means: To dictate policy.
What words are commonly confused with "regulate"?
"regulate" is commonly confused with "relate", "regulated", "regulator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "regulate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "regulate" is /ˈɹɛɡjəleɪ̯t/. 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 "regulate"?
Borrowed from Latin regulatus, perfect passive participle of regulō (“to direct, rule, regulate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from regula (“rule”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”). Compare regle, rail. Displaced native O... 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 "regulate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pharmacy#8,706Muhammad#8,697Morrison#8,695uncommon#8,738

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

sliding11 variantssurplus11 variantslending11 variantsautonomy11 variants

What to do next

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

  • "regulate" maps to 5 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "relate". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #8,716 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