# Rhine

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ɹaɪn/ · frequency rank #20,210

## Definitions
1. A major river in western Europe, which flows through Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, France and the Netherlands, before emptying into the North Sea.

## Etymology
From Middle English Rine, Ryne, from Old English Rīn (“the Rhine”), from Middle High German and Old High German Rīn, from Proto-West Germanic *Rīn, from Proto-Germanic *Rīnaz, from Gaulish Rēnos, from a Pre-Celtic or Proto-Celtic *reinos; one of a class of river names built from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reyH- (“to move, flow, run”).
Cognate with Old High German Rīn ("the Rhine"; > German Rhein), Old Norse Rín (“the Rhine”), Dutch Rijn (“the Rhine”). Related also to Latin rivus ("river"), in Celtic with an -n- suffix as in Old Irish rīan (“run”) (more at run).
The spelling with Rh- is due to the influence of Ancient Greek Ῥῆνος (Rhênos) (via French Rhin).

## Easily confused with
- **rin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rin)
- **ride** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-ride)
- **ring** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-ring)
- **rise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rise)
- **rice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rice)
- **ruin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-ruin)
- **ripe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-ripe)
- **rite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rite)
- **rink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rink)
- **rife** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rife)
- **rune** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rune)
- **rind** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rind)
- **Rina** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rina)
- **ruins** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-ruins)
- **Rhode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rhode)
- **rhino** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rhino)
- **rhyme** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rhyme)
- **rinse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rinse)
- **Rhone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-rhone)
- **ruined** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rhine-vs-ruined)

## Common misspellings (7)
`hrine`, `rhhine`, `rhien`, `rhinne`, `rhnie`, `rihne`, `rrhine`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rhine