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” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #299) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#299
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-try · try · English

try · rank #299 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #299
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH though

Nearest frequency peer: though (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “try”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “try” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for try is neighbouring look-alikes ("TV", "TX", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /tɹaɪ/. Frequency #299 among 3,151 “T” headwords. 21 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how try appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I tried to rollerblade, but I couldn’t.
  2. Can you start the car? —I'll try (to).

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "try", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

yes#301job#296far#295men#289

What to do next

You've looked up "try". Here's where to go from here.

  • "try" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "TV". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #299 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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