restraint
/ɹɪˈstɹeɪnt/noun
restraint is spelled R-E-S-T-R-A-I-N-T: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, restraint means “Something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of restraint is restraints.
How many letters and syllables are in restraint?
| Letters | 9: R-E-S-T-R-A-I-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.4 times per million words; the 12,216th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is restraint?
Restraint appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th 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 restraint?
- /ɹɪˈstɹeɪnt/
Restraint has 2 syllables (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-restraint.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of restraint
- restraints plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does restraint mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures.
Make sure all the restraints are tight.
- 2
Control or caution; reserve.
Try to exercise restraint when talking to your boss.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Restraint in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contention , refrènement, retenue |
| German | Beschränkung, Zügelung, Einschränkung, Zwang, Befestigung, Zurückhaltung |
| Portuguese | amarra |
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 restraint come from?
From Middle English restreynte, from Old French restreinte; more at restrain.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).