# hain

> English word · Verb · frequency rank #32,837

## Definitions
1. To hedge or fence in; enclose; protect by hedging.
2. To save; spare; refrain from using or spending.
3. To be thrifty; be economical.

## Etymology
From earlier hayne, from Middle English *haynen, *heynen, from Old Norse hegna (“to protect; defend”), from Proto-Germanic *haginjaną (“to hedge”), equivalent to hedge + -en. Cognate with Icelandic hegna (“to fence; confine; punish”), Swedish hägna (“to fence off; enclose; protect”), Danish hegne (“to enclose; fence in”). Related to hedge.
The noun is from Middle English heyn.

## Easily confused with
- **hi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hi)
- **hn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hn)
- **his** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-his)
- **has** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-has)
- **him** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-him)
- **hit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hit)
- **hat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hat)
- **hip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hip)
- **HIV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hiv)
- **ham** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-ham)
- **han** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-han)
- **hay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hay)
- **hon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hon)
- **hid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hid)
- **hal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hal)
- **hen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hen)
- **hun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hun)
- **hui** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-hui)
- **har** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-har)
- **haw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hain-vs-haw)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ahin`, `hainn`, `hani`, `hhain`, `hian`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hain