To Rein, or to Reign

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.

This entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth at pameladlloyd. Feel free to respond at either location.