Which to use
“rein” is a noun and “retain” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,934
- “rein” frequency rank
- #5,541
- “retain” frequency rank
- 23475
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rein | retain |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A strap or rope attached to a bridle or bit, used to control a horse, other animal or young child. | Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rein and retain apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rein is /ɹeɪn/ while retain is /ɹɪˈteɪn/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23475, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rein is recorded at frequency rank #17,934, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹeɪn/. retain is at rank #5,541, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪn/.
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 23475, this pair ranks #408,996 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of rein vs retain
Shared letters: einr. Private to "rein": -. Private to "retain": at.
"rein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "retain" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rein" and "retain" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "rein" or "retain"?
Remembering rein vs retain
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “rein”; for a verb, it's “retain”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rein” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable