Reynard

/ˈɹɛnə(ɹ)d/

//ˈɹɛnə(ɹ)d// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"reynard" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Reynard” is uncommon English (frequency #61,074 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,074
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male given name.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reynard · Reynard · English

Reynard · rank #61,074 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,074
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Revell

Nearest frequency peer: Revell (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “Reynard”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Reynard” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Reynard
PropertyValue
HeadwordReynard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɹɛnə(ɹ)d/
Letters7
Frequency rank#61,074
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Reynard” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Reynardfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Revell” (#61,073), “righteously” (#61,075), “retrenchment” (#61,072). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “Reynard” is #61,074. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Reynard is uncommon English at frequency #61,074 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈɹɛnə(ɹ)d/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for Reynard in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French Renart (Modern renard (“fox”)), influenced by Middle Dutch Reynaerd, both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Raginaharduz, from *raginą (“decision, advice, counsel”) + *harduz (“hard, strong”). Compare German Reinhard, Old High German Reginhart… The correct English form is Reynard, spelled R-E-Y-N-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name.
  2. 2
    A surname originating as a patronymic.
  3. 3
    A name in European folklore for the red fox.
  4. 4
    A locality in the Shire of Wellington and the Shire of Mansfield, south eastern Victoria, Australia.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how Reynard appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Reynard, in his thieving rambles, one night the summer before last visited the pleasure-gardens in Cornbury Park, and there he found and carried off a hen pheasant while sitting on her nest. The same evening a barn-door hen, with a nide of pheasants also disappeared.

Etymology

From Old French Renart (Modern renard (“fox”)), influenced by Middle Dutch Reynaerd, both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Raginaharduz, from *raginą (“decision, advice, counsel”) + *harduz (“hard, strong”). Compare German Reinhard, Old High German Reginhart (“strong in counsel”).

This word in other languages

Renart(Français)Reineke(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Reynard"?
"Reynard" is spelled R-E-Y-N-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛnə(ɹ)d/.
What does "Reynard" mean?
As a proper noun, "Reynard" means: A male given name.
How do you pronounce "Reynard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Reynard" is /ˈɹɛnə(ɹ)d/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Reynard"?
From Old French Renart (Modern renard (“fox”)), influenced by Middle Dutch Reynaerd, both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Raginaharduz, from *raginą (“decision, advice, counsel”) + *harduz (“hard, strong”). Compare German Reinhard, Old High German... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Reynard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rowboat#61,085seabird#61,099preachy#61,040Shinobu#61,109

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list