rain
/ˈɹeɪn/
nounverb
Core
1.n.water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
2.n.drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds
3.n.anything happening rapidly or in quick successive
“a rain of bullets”
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rain and rein are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. rain means “water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere”. rein means “control and direct with or as if by reins”. rain is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɹeɪn/
1.n.water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
2.n.drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds
3.n.anything happening rapidly or in quick successive
“a rain of bullets”
/ˈɹeɪn/
| rain | rein | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹeɪn/ | /ˈɹeɪn/ |
| Said | rayn | rayn |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | verb, noun |
| Senses | 4 | 6 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | rainfall | harness, rein in, draw rein |
Full entry for rain · Full entry for rein · More comparisons
1.v.control and direct with or as if by reins
“rein a horse”
2.v.stop or slow up one's horse or oneself by or as if by pulling the reins
“They reined in in front of the post office”
3.v.stop or check by or as if by a pull at the reins
“He reined in his horses in front of the post office”