[en] The linear correlation between the term value and ionization energy for molecular Rydberg transitions is tested for the sequence of isoelectronic molecules BF, CO and N₂ based on a new measurement of the absorption spectrum of CO and data for BF and N₂. For the npsigma series and npπ series converging on the first ionization potential, we find an excellent linear behavior (within 10 meV) corroborating (I) the correlation and (II) the individual assignments. For Rydberg series leading to the A²DELTA and B²EPSILON⁺ states, where no data for BF are available, a comparison of term values for CO and N₂ is presented. (orig.)