réglervsrégulierWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: régler is a verb, régulier is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“régler” is a verb and “régulier” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,595
“régler” frequency rank
#5,809
“régulier” frequency rank
8404
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature régler régulier
Definition Tirer avec la règle des lignes droites sur du papier, du carton, etc. Qui a de la régularité, qui est conforme à des règles, soit naturelles, soit de convention ; qui est constant, uniforme.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set régler and régulier apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
régler
8 ch
régulier

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: régler is \ʁe.ɡle\ while régulier is \ʁe.ɡy.lje\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8404, 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\. régulier is at rank #5,809, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.ɡy.lje\.

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 8404, this pair ranks #420,145 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of régler vs régulier

Shared letters: eglré. Private to "régler": -. Private to "régulier": iu.

"régler" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "régulier" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

régler#2,595
régulier#5,809

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "régler" and "régulier" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "régler" is a verb and "régulier" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "régler" or "régulier"?
"régler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,595 in our French list, against #5,809 for "régulier". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering régler vs régulier

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “régler”; for an adjective, it's “régulier”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “régler” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list