restrain
re·strain/ɹɪˈstɹeɪn/verb
restrain is spelled R-E-S-T-R-A-I-N: 8 letters and 2 syllables (re·strain). It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, restrain means “To control or keep in check” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in restrain?
| Letters | 8: R-E-S-T-R-A-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: re·strain |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,356th 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 restrain?
Restrain appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th 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 restrain?
- /ɹɪˈstɹeɪn/
Restrain has 2 syllables, split re·strain in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-restrain.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with restrain?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as restrain.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: strainer, arrestin.
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 restrain
- restrains present, singular, he/she/it
- restraining participle, present
- restrained participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does restrain mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To control or keep in check.
- 2
To deprive of liberty.
- 3
To restrict or limit.
He was restrained by the straitjacket.
- 4
To strain again.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Restrain in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | retenir , réprimer , restreindre |
| German | zügeln , einschränken, behindern , abgrenzen, begrenzen, eingrenzen |
| Portuguese | conter, coibir, deter , encarcerar, reprimir , restringir |
| Spanish | refrenar, restreñir |
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 restrain come from?
From Middle English restreinen, from Old French restreindre, from Latin rēstringere (“fasten, tighten”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).