Public Service Announcement
⚠️ Warning: Pedantry ahead!! ⚠️
There seems to be some confusion about the difference between reign and rein so here’s a handy guide.
reign:
(verb) -- To hold royal office or rule as a monarch
(noun) -- The period of rule of a monarch
rein:
(noun) -- A long, narrow strap attached at one end to a horse's bit, typically used in pairs to guide or check a horse in riding or driving
(verb) -- To check or guide (a horse) by pulling on its reins; to keep under control; restrain.
free rein: Freedom of action or expression, as in when a driver or rider loosens their hold on the horse and allows it to run where it will as fast as it likes.
“Free reign” is not a thing.
Also: when you keep something under control you keep a tight rein on it; when you want to want to assert control over something that’s gone crazy you rein it in; when someone takes control of a situation they take the reins.
However: Rulers of any kind, whether they are actually royal or not, can be said to reign over people and something important can reign supreme.
This has been a Public Service Announcement from your friendly local pedantic-as-fuck English teacher.
Sources:
Definition of “reign”
Definition of “rein”
