regulation
reg·u·la·tion/ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/noun, adjective
regulation is spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables (reg·u·la·tion). It appears 24 times per million words in written English, the 3,752nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, regulation means “The act of regulating or the condition of being regulated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of regulation is regulations.
How many letters and syllables are in regulation?
| Letters | 10: R-E-G-U-L-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: reg·u·la·tion |
| In writing | 24 times per million words; the 3,752nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is regulation?
Regulation appears 24 times per million words in written English, the 3,752nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce regulation?
- /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/
Regulation has 4 syllables, split reg·u·la·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-regulation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with regulation?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as regulation.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: urogenital.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of regulation
- regulations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does regulation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of regulating or the condition of being regulated.
- 2
A law or administrative rule, issued by an organization, used to guide or prescribe the conduct of members of that organization.
Army regulations state a soldier AWOL over 30 days is a deserter.
- 3
A type of law made by the executive branch of a government, usually as authorized by a statute made by the legislative branch giving the executive the authority to do so.
- 4
A numbered provision within such kind of legislation.
Regulation 18B of the Defence (General) Regulations 1939 (S.R. & O. 1939/927) authorized the British government to intern suspected spies and collaborators during World War II.
- 5
A form of legislative act which is self-effecting, and requires no further intervention by the Member States to become law.
- 6
Mechanism controlling DNA transcription.
- 7
Physiological process which consists in maintaining homoeostasis.
adjective
- 1
In conformity with applicable rules and regulations.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Regulation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Regeln , Regelung, Regulativ, Bestimmung , Verordnung |
| French | règlement, réglementation , régulation |
| Portuguese | regulamento , regulação |
| Spanish | reglamento , regulación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does regulation come from?
From regulate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).