régler vs régulée, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“régler” and “régulée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,595
“régler” frequency rank: #44,162
“régulée” frequency rank: 46757
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	régler	régulée
Definition	Tirer avec la règle des lignes droites sur du papier, du carton, etc.	Participe passé féminin singulier de réguler.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set régler and régulée apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

régler

7 ch

régulée

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. régler (\ʁe.ɡle\) and régulée (\ʁe.ɡy.le\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46757, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

régler is recorded at frequency rank #2,595, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.ɡle\. régulée is at rank #44,162, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.ɡy.le\.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 46757, this pair ranks #192,344 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of régler vs régulée

Shared letters: eglré. Private to "régler": -. Private to "régulée": u.

"régler" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "régulée" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Frequency comparison

régler#2,595

régulée#44,162

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "régler" and "régulée" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (\ʁe.ɡle\ versus \ʁe.ɡy.le\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "régler" or "régulée"?

"régler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,595 in our French list, against #44,162 for "régulée". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering régler vs régulée

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “régler” entry
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