What does rein mean?
Word: Rein
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Rein means a long narrow strap fixed to a horse's head, used by the rider to guide it. It is usually used in the plural, reins.
How do you spell rein?
Syllables: rein
Tricky part: The 'ay' sound is spelt ei, as in veil and beige. It is a short word, so the two vowels are easy to swap.
Watch out for: rien, rane
Memory tip: The 'ay' sound in rein is spelt ei, the same as in eight and neighbour, so the e comes first.
Idioms and Phrases
- give free rein to: to give someone complete freedom to do what they want. Example: "The art teacher gave us free rein to paint anything we liked."
Rein in a sentence
Example 1: The rider pulled gently on the reins to slow the horse down.
Example 2: Tara held the reins tightly on her first pony ride at Mahabaleshwar.
Example 3: One rein had slipped off the horse's neck.
Fun Fact
Rein comes from an old French word linked to the Latin retinere, 'to hold back', which also gave English the word retain.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the option that fills both blanks correctly:
1. The jockey pulled hard on the left ___ to turn the horse. 2. The ___ of Emperor Akbar lasted almost fifty years.
a) reign/rein
b) 'reign' in both
c) 'rein' in both
d) rein/reign
Show answer
d) rein/reign. The jockey pulls a strap, a rein; an emperor's time on the throne is his reign.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with rein?
a) crane
b) vein
c) protein
d) chain
Show answer
c) protein. Protein ends in 'teen'; vein, chain and crane all end in the 'ain' sound of rein.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
The rider held the reins lightly as the pony trotted around the field at the village fair.
a) 2
b) 0
c) 1
d) 3
Show answer
b) 0. Every word here is spelt correctly, including reins, field and fair.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
A long strap that a rider holds to guide a horse is called a ___.
a) horseshoe
b) stirrup
c) rein
d) saddle
Show answer
c) rein. The rider sits on the saddle, rests a foot in the stirrup and the horseshoe protects the hoof; the strap in the hand is the rein.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. To 'keep a tight rein on' your spending means to ___.
a) forget about it
b) spend freely
c) share it equally
d) control it carefully
Show answer
d) control it carefully
2. On a horse, the reins are fixed to the ___.
a) bridle
b) hooves
c) stirrups
d) saddle
Show answer
a) bridle
