rein
/ɹeɪn/noun, verb
rein is spelled R-E-I-N: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “reign vs rein” about 2,900 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, rein means “A strap or rope attached to a bridle or bit, used to control a horse, other animal or young child” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rein is reins.
How many letters and syllables are in rein?
| Letters | 4: R-E-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is rein?
Rein appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce rein?
- /ɹeɪn/
Rein has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-rein.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with rein
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: rain (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with rein?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as rein.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rine.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of rein
- reins plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- reining participle, present
- reined participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rein mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A strap or rope attached to a bridle or bit, used to control a horse, other animal or young child.
- 2
An instrument or means of curbing, restraining, or governing.
The government is attempting to keep a rein on rising prices.
- 3
archaicA kidney.
- 4
The inward impulses; the affections and passions, formerly supposed to be located in the area of the kidneys.
verb
- 1
To direct or stop a horse by using reins.
- 2
To restrain; to control; to check.
- 3
To obey directions given with the reins.
noun
- 1
Acronym of repetitive electrical impulse noise.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rein in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does rein come from?
From Middle English rein, reyne, from Anglo-Norman reyne, resne, from Early Medieval Latin retina, ultimately from Classical Latin retineō (“hold back”), from re- + teneō (“keep, hold”). Compare modern French rêne. Displaced native Old English brīdel (“bridle, rein”), Old English wealdleþer, ġewealdleþer (“rein, bridle”, literally “control strap”), Old English sāl (“cord, rein”), Old English tiġel (“rein”), and Old English lāttēh, lāttēh (“leash, rein”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).