‘Regime’ Versus ‘Regimen’

Today I'll answer a question from Regina in Ecuador:

"I very much enjoy every email I get from you, and now I have a question. Can you explain the difference between the usage of the word 'regime' and 'regimen'?  There are many times when I read either word and wonder if the writer is using it correctly. This is Regina in Ecuador. Thanks a lot. Bye.”

Regime

A regime, sometimes spelled with an accented E (“régime”), is a type of government or ruling structure.

Squiggly didn’t want to live under a totalitarian regime.

Regimen

A regimen is a course of behavior or treatment. Your doctor may recommend a diet or exercise regimen.

Squiggly struggled to set up a regimen, and he never knew what he should eat for dinner.

Both “regime” and “regimen” come from the Latin word for “guidance.” Since the root won’t help you remember the difference between these two words, look at it this way: 

“Regimen” is just the word “regime” with the letter N tacked on to the end. Think of the N as a doctor putting you on notice—N for “notice”— that you’d better follow a healthy regimen.

Regiment

Even though Regina didn’t ask, I’ll add another noun that gets mixed up in here: “regiment.” A regiment is a group of military forces. And it comes from a different Latin word that means “government.”

Don’t punish the whole regiment for the mistakes of one.

How can you remember this one? Well, this might be a stretch, but “regiment” is just “regimen” with a T tacked on to the end. When I was a kid, I loved the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and Sir Galahad wore a costume that had a bold and memorable big red cross on it, which looks like the letter T. He was one of the Knights of the Round Table, so he was part of a regiment. So you can think of that red T on Galahad’s shield as the T on the end of "regiment," a group of military forces. I warned you that it is a stretch, but it works for me, so I hope it will work for some of you!

Thanks for the question, Regina.

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