Reining or Reigning: Which Is Correct?
Updated · Which One Is Correct editorial team
Quick answer: The choice between reining and reigning depends entirely on the action being described. Reining refers to controlling a horse or spending money, while reigning refers to ruling a kingdom or holding an active title. Understanding this distinction ensures your writing remains clear and accurate.
The Short Answer
Reining is the correct spelling when you mean controlling a horse or reducing expenses, derived from the word rein. Reigning is the correct spelling when you mean ruling a kingdom or holding an active title, derived from the word reign.
People often confuse these words because they sound identical and share the same ending letters. The confusion usually stems from not knowing the specific root word or the context in which the action takes place.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Form | Status | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Reining | Present Participle | Use for guiding a horse or limiting spending |
| Reigning | Present Participle | Use for ruling a nation or holding a title |
| Reining | Noun or Verb | Often appears in phrases like reining in a budget |
| Reigning | Noun or Verb | Often appears in phrases like the reigning monarch |
Correct Example Sentences
- The reining champion won the final match last week.
- She is reining in her spending to save for the future.
- The horse responded well to the reining techniques used by the trainer.
- He is the reigning king of the basketball league today.
- We need to reining in our expenses before the year ends.
- The queen has been reigning for over twenty years now.
- Please stop reining in the conversation and let others speak.
- The company is reining in its growth to focus on quality.
- A reigning actor will perform at the theater next month.
- The reining policy ensures that no one overspends their allowance.
Common Mistakes and Fixes
- The reining monarch gave a speech to the citizens.
- The reigning monarch gave a speech to the citizens.
- He is reining the budget to save money.
- He is reining in the budget to save money.
- The reining team captain wore the new jersey.
- The reigning team captain wore the new jersey.
- She was reining the horse around the track.
- She was reining in the horse around the track.
- The reining queen celebrated her birthday with a party.
- The reigning queen celebrated her birthday with a party.
- We should reining in our costs immediately.
- We should reining in our costs immediately.
A Quick Test You Can Use
To determine the correct word, ask yourself if the subject is controlling a force or holding a position of power. If the action involves guiding a horse or limiting something, use reining. If the action involves ruling a territory or maintaining a title, use reigning.
Related Word Pairs
- Principal vs. Principle
- Use principal for a person or main point, and principle for a rule or belief.
- Effect vs. Affect
- Use effect as a noun meaning result, and affect as a verb meaning to influence.
- Compliment vs. Complement
- Use compliment for praise and complement for something that completes another.
- Historic vs. Historical
- Use historic for something of great importance and historical for anything related to history.
- Disinterested vs. Uninterested
- Use disinterested for impartiality and uninterested for a lack of interest.
