rule

/ɹuːl/

//ɹuːl// noun

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

"rule" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rule” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,234. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,234
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A regulation, law, guideline.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rule · rule · English

rule · rank #1,234 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,234
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reach

Nearest frequency peer: reach (-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 “rule”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “rule” 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).

rule vs run
50% similar
rule vs rum
50% similar
rule vs rye
50% similar

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

Key facts for rule
PropertyValue
Headwordrule
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹuːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,234
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rule” 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).rule lands 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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around rule (IPA /ɹuːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,234 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for rule, with forms such as "rlue", "rrule", and "ruel". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "run", "rum", "rye", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reule, rewle, rule, borrowed from Old French riule, reule, from Latin regula (“straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; ri… The correct English form is rule, spelled R-U-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A regulation, law, guideline.
  2. 2
    A regulating principle.
  3. 3
    The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control.
  4. 4
    A normal condition or state of affairs.
  5. 5
    Conduct; behaviour.
  6. 6
    An order regulating the practice of the courts, or an order made between parties to an action or a suit.
  7. 7
    A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result.
  8. 8
    A ruler; device for measuring, a straightedge, a measure.
  9. 9
    A straight line (continuous mark, as made by a pen or the like), especially one lying across a paper as a guide for writing.
  10. 10
    A thin plate of brass or other metal, of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. All participants must adhere to the rules.
  2. You have to follow the rules to enter the qualifiers for the football tournament.

Etymology

From Middle English reule, rewle, rule, borrowed from Old French riule, reule, from Latin regula (“straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; right”), from the root *h₃reǵ-; see regent. Doublet of rail, regal, regula, and rigol.

Synonyms

rule

This word in other languages

regla(Español)règle(Français)Regel(Deutsch)regra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rlue
  • rrule
  • ruel
  • rulle
  • urle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rule - 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.

rlue2rrule1ruel2rulle1urle2
Edit distance from "rule"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rule"?
"rule" is spelled R-U-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹuːl/.
What does "rule" mean?
As a noun, "rule" means: A regulation, law, guideline.
What words are commonly confused with "rule"?
"rule" is commonly confused with "run", "rum", "rye". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rule"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rule" is /ɹuːl/. 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 "rule"?
From Middle English reule, rewle, rule, borrowed from Old French riule, reule, from Latin regula (“straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to stra... 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 "rule", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hurt#1,224none#1,251ship#1,254unit#1,209

Similar misspelling depth

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

gotta5 variantsfear5 variantswear5 variantswide5 variants

What to do next

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

  • "rule" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "run". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,234 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