regulator
/ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/
"regulator" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“regulator” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,668 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #12,668
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A device that controls or limits something.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | regulator |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #12,668 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “regulator” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for regulator is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,668 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for regulator, with forms such as "ergulator", "reggulator", and "regluator". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "regulatory", "regular", "regulate", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From regulate + -or. The correct English form is regulator, spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-O-R.
Definition
- 1A device that controls or limits something.
- 2A device that controls or limits something.
- 3A person or group that sets standards of practice, especially regulatory law as sanctioned by statutory law.
- 4A very accurate clock, used by clockmakers to measure the timekeeping of each newly made clock.
- 5A gene involved in controlling the expression of one or more other genes.
- 6A device that controls the supply of steam to the cylinders of a steam locomotive.
- 7Synonym of bulldozer (“member of intimidating group of white US Southerners”).
- 8A positive real number determining the density of the units in Dirichlet's unit theorem.
- 9Short for diving regulator.
Etymology
From regulate + -or.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ergulator,reggulator,regluator,regualtor,regulaotr,regulatorr,regulatro,regulattor,regullator,regultaor,reuglator,rgeulator,rregulator
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of regulator - 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.
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 "regulator"?
What does "regulator" mean?
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Using “regulator”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-G-U-L-A-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “regulatory” - see the side-by-side comparison. regulator vs regulatory
- 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.