withstrain
"withstrain" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“withstrain” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To restrain.
Corpus desk
Index EN-withstrain · withstrain · English
withstrain · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "W" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | withstrain |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “withstrain” in English
Rare enough to double-check
withstrain is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To restrain.".
withstrain doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English withstreynen, equivalent to with- + strain. The correct English form is withstrain, spelled W-I-T-H-S-T-R-A-I-N.
Definition
- 1To restrain.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how withstrain appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Even when this is known, [only] with difficulty is the multitude withstrained from doing sacrifice to a Paul and a Barnabas.
The sailors surrounded him, laying hands on him, withstraining him, the while they guffawed and cheered.
Etymology
From Middle English withstreynen, equivalent to with- + strain.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.