remain
re·main/ɹɪˈmeɪn/noun, verb
remain is spelled R-E-M-A-I-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (re·main). It appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, remain means “That which is left; relic; remainder” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of remain is remains.
How many letters and syllables are in remain?
| Letters | 6: R-E-M-A-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: re·main |
| In writing | 68 times per million words; the 1,562nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is remain?
Remain appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd 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 remain?
- /ɹɪˈmeɪn/
Remain has 2 syllables, split re·main in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-remain.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with remain?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as remain.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: marine, mainer.
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 remain
- remains plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- remaining participle, present
- remained participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does remain mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
That which is left; relic; remainder.
- 2
That which is left of a human being after the life is gone; relics; a dead body.
- 3
Posthumous works or productions, especially literary works.
- 4
obsoleteState of remaining; stay.
verb
- 1
To stay after others or other parts have been removed or otherwise disappeared.
After three rounds of interviews, only 5 candidates remained.
- 2
To be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off; to be left as not included or comprised.
If you divide 20 apples between three people, each gets six and two remain.
- 3
To continue unchanged in place, form, or condition, or undiminished in quantity; to abide; to stay; to endure; to last.
Promise me you will always remain my good little girl.
- 4
To await; to be left to.
- 5
To continue in a state of being.
There was no food in the house, so I had to remain hungry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Remain in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | reste , rester , demeurer |
| Portuguese | resto, resquício , ficar, permanecer, sobrar, restar |
| Spanish | resto, restos , quedarse, sobrar , restar, quedar |
| German | bleiben, zurückbleiben, übrigbleiben |
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 remain come from?
From Middle English remainen, from Old French remain-, stressed stem of remanoir, from Latin remaneō, maneō, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stay”). Displaced native Middle English beliven, bliven (“to remain”) (from Old English belīfan (“to remain, stay”)) due to confluence with related Middle English beleven (“to leave behind”), with which it merged. More at beleave and belive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).