réguavsregularWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: régua is a noun, regular is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“régua” is a noun and “regular” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,702
“régua” frequency rank
#3,285
“regular” frequency rank
21987
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature régua regular
Definition instrumento de madeira, plástico ou qualquer outro material sólido com as faces planas e as arestas apropriadas para servirem de guia para se traçar linhas retas que ocorre em intervalos igualmente espaçados de tempo ou espaço

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set régua and regular apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
régua
7 ch
regular

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

régua and regular form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

régua is recorded at frequency rank #18,702, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈχɛ.gwə/. regular is at rank #3,285, tagged as anadj, pronounced /Rɨ.ɡu.ˈlaɾ/.

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 21987, this pair ranks #48,160 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

régua#18,702
regular#3,285

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "régua" and "regular" be used interchangeably?
No, "régua" and "regular" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering régua vs regular

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “régua”; for an adjective, it's “regular”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “régua” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list