English

Noun

free reign

1. misconstruction of free rein

Usage notes

As of 2007, 46% of Americans use free reign rather than free rein, and accordingly, the OED now considers it an acceptable variant.

References

• Are We Giving Free Rei(g)n to New Spelling, October 18th, 2007, Ben Zimmer, OUPblog
• Free Rein or Free Reign?
• National Dictionary Day: Do you spell “free reign” with a G?, 10/16/2007, ABC News