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regulator

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

9 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "regulator", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "regulator" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "regulator" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

regulator is aEnglishnoun. It means: A device that controls or limits something. Pronounced /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/. Often confused with regulatory and regular.

Key facts for regulator
PropertyValue
Headwordregulator
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,668
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of regulator in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for regulator is 9 letters long, classified as anoun, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 13 documented wrong-spelling variants for regulator, with forms such as "ergulator", "reggulator", and "regluator". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, 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, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From regulate + -or. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is regulator, spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-O-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device that controls or limits something.
  2. 2
    A device that controls or limits something.
  3. 3
    A person or group that sets standards of practice, especially regulatory law as sanctioned by statutory law.
  4. 4
    A very accurate clock, used by clockmakers to measure the timekeeping of each newly made clock.
  5. 5
    A gene involved in controlling the expression of one or more other genes.
  6. 6
    A device that controls the supply of steam to the cylinders of a steam locomotive.
  7. 7
    Synonym of bulldozer (“member of intimidating group of white US Southerners”).
  8. 8
    A positive real number determining the density of the units in Dirichlet's unit theorem.
  9. 9
    Short 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

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for regulator

Misspelling Variants of "regulator"

ergulator9reggulator10regluator9regualtor9regulaotr9regulatorr10regulatro9regulattor10
Misspelling Variants of "regulator"

Frequency rank: #12,668 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "regulator"?
"regulator" is spelled R-E-G-U-L-A-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/.
What does "regulator" mean?
As a noun, "regulator" means: A device that controls or limits something.
What words are commonly confused with "regulator"?
"regulator" is commonly confused with "regulatory", "regular", "regulate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "regulator"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "regulator" is /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.leɪ.tə/. 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 "regulator"?
From regulate + -or. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.