try

/tɹaɪ/

//tɹaɪ// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"try" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“try” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #299 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#299
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

try vs TV
0% similar
try vs TX
0% similar
try vs Tu
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for try
PropertyValue
Headwordtry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹaɪ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#299
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “try” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). try lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for try is 3 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹaɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #299 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

try has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TV", "TX", "Tu", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English trien (“to separate out, sift, choose, select, evaluate, try a legal case”), from Anglo-Norman trier, triher, triere (“to divide, separate, choose, select, prove, determine, try a case”), Old French trier (“to choose, pick out or separat… The correct English form is try, spelled T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.
  2. 2
    To divide; to separate.
  3. 3
    To divide; to separate.
  4. 4
    To divide; to separate.
  5. 5
    To divide; to separate.
  6. 6
    To test, to work out.
  7. 7
    To test, to work out.
  8. 8
    To test, to work out.
  9. 9
    To test, to work out.
  10. 10
    To test, to work out.
  11. 11
    To test, to work out.
  12. 12
    To test, to work out.
  13. 13
    To test, to work out.
  14. 14
    To experiment, to strive.
  15. 15
    To experiment, to strive.
  16. 16
    To experiment, to strive.
  17. 17
    To experiment, to strive.
  18. 18
    To experiment, to strive.
  19. 19
    To lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind.
  20. 20
    To strain; to subject to excessive tests.
  21. 21
    To want, to desire.

Etymology

From Middle English trien (“to separate out, sift, choose, select, evaluate, try a legal case”), from Anglo-Norman trier, triher, triere (“to divide, separate, choose, select, prove, determine, try a case”), Old French trier (“to choose, pick out or separate from others, sift, cull”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Occitan triar (“to choose, sort, scrutinise, peel”), Catalan triar (“to pick, choose, decide”). Suggested to be derived from Late Latin *trītāre (“to crush, grind, trample, wear out”), itself derived from Classical Latin trītus (“rubbed, worn down, pulverised”), the past participle of terō, terere (“to rub, wear down, trample”), though this derivation is incompatible with the Occitan form. Additionally, the shift in meaning from "rub, crush, trample" to "pick out, choose, cull" is difficult to explain. One suggestion is that the semantic shift might have originated from a Latin phrase *granum terere ("to tread the corn (in threshing)"; compare Latin trītūra (“rubbing, chafing, friction" also "threshing”)), which has a parallel in the modern French trier le grain (“to sort the grain”). Alternatively, perhaps derived from Vulgar Latin *trīāre, a metathetic alteration of *tīrāre (“to tear off, pull, draw”), whence also Old French tirer (“to draw, pull, pluck, tug, peck at, extract”), Occitan tirar (“to take, draw, retrieve, remove, extract”). Replaced native Middle English cunnen (“to try”) (from Old English cunnian), Middle English fandien (“to try, prove”) (from Old English fandian), and Middle English costnien (“to try, tempt, test”) (from Old English costnian).

Synonyms

attemptendeavorfandminttake a run attake a stab atstriveputkeepetc. one's nose to the grindstoneput one's back intogive 110%break one's backwork hardapply oneselfsampletaste

This word in other languages

intentar(Español)essayer(Français)versuchen(Deutsch)experimentar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "try"?
"try" is spelled T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹaɪ/.
What does "try" mean?
As a verb, "try" means: To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.
What words are commonly confused with "try"?
"try" is commonly confused with "TV", "TX", "Tu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "try"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "try" is /tɹaɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "try"?
From Middle English trien (“to separate out, sift, choose, select, evaluate, try a legal case”), from Anglo-Norman trier, triher, triere (“to divide, separate, choose, select, prove, determine, try a case”), Old French trier (“to choose, pick out ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “try”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɹaɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “TV” - see the side-by-side comparison. try vs TV
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list