regulation

/ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/

//ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən// noun

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

"regulation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“regulation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,781. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,781
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of regulating or the condition of being regulated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-regulation · regulation · English

regulation · rank #3,781 · 15 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,781
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rapid

Nearest frequency peer: rapid (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “regulation”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “regulation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

regulation vs relation
80% similar
regulation vs regulator
80% similar
regulation vs reputation
80% similar

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

Key facts for regulation
PropertyValue
Headwordregulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,781
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “regulation”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “rapid” (#3,780), “resident” (#3,782), “races” (#3,779). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “regulation” is #3,781. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around regulation (IPA /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,781 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for regulation, with forms such as "ergulation", "reggulation", and "regluation". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "relation", "regulator", "reputation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From regulate + -ion. The correct English form is regulation, spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of regulating or the condition of being regulated.
  2. 2
    A law or administrative rule, issued by an organization, used to guide or prescribe the conduct of members of that organization.
  3. 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. 4
    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.
  5. 5
    A form of legislative act which is self-effecting, and requires no further intervention by the Member States to become law.
  6. 6
    Mechanism controlling DNA transcription.
  7. 7
    Physiological process which consists in maintaining homoeostasis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Army regulations state a soldier AWOL over 30 days is a deserter.
  2. The guard was paying no attention whatever to the running of his train, in total disregard of rules, and, as the recently-published report of a Ministry of Transport Inspecting Officer of Railways shows, there were other disquieting features in the case, such as ignorance on the part of responsible men of rules and appendix instructions and a lax attitude…

Etymology

From regulate + -ion.

This word in other languages

reglamento(Español)règlement(Français)Regeln(Deutsch)regulamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ergulation
  • reggulation
  • regluation
  • regualtion
  • regulaiton
  • regulasion
  • regulatino
  • regulationn
  • regulatoin
  • regulattion
  • regullation
  • regultaion
  • reuglation
  • rgeulation
  • rregulation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of regulation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ergulation2reggulation1regluation2regualtion2regulaiton2regulasion1regulatino2regulationn1
Edit distance from "regulation"

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 "regulation"?
"regulation" is spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/.
What does "regulation" mean?
As a noun, "regulation" means: The act of regulating or the condition of being regulated.
What words are commonly confused with "regulation"?
"regulation" is commonly confused with "relation", "regulator", "reputation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "regulation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "regulation" is /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/. 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 "regulation"?
From regulate + -ion. 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 "regulation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

possession#3,777maintained#3,768journalist#3,764incredibly#3,761

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

exhibition15 variantsexperiment15 variantsenterprise15 variantssubsequent15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list