To Rein, or to Reign

[pameladlloyd]

Ever since my last post, I've been saddled with the nagging feeling that I'd not only made a misspelling in my entry, but that the misspelling was in my title.

This is not exactly a comfortable feeling for someone who tutors writing.

So, I finally looked it up. It turns out that this is a term in transition and I'm in, if not good company, at least, numerous company, as 46% of people will use the spelling I did. Even the folks at Oxford Press now see this as a variant, although the New Oxford American Dictionary flags it as a nonstandard variant. You can read more about this lexicographic issue on the OUPblog.

Comments

[azurelunatic]

Ah, that's one of the ones that rarely fails to send me ballistic.

[pameladlloyd]

My apologies for sending you ballistic, then. There are many aspects of our changing language that are pet peeves for me (the distinction, mostly lost, between less and fewer, for instance), but I seem to be behind the curve on this one. Or, ahead of it. I'm not sure which.