trying

/ˈtɹaɪ.ɪŋ/

//ˈtɹaɪ.ɪŋ// adj

"trying" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“trying” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #322. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#322
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Difficult to endure; arduous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-trying · trying · English

trying · rank #322 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #322
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH they're

Nearest frequency peer: they're (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “trying”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “trying” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

trying vs tying
83% similar
trying vs tryna
67% similar
trying vs typing
67% similar

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

Key facts for trying
PropertyValue
Headwordtrying
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɹaɪ.ɪŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#322
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “trying”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tryinglands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “they're” (#321), “united” (#323), “general” (#320). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “trying” is #322. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around trying (IPA /ˈtɹaɪ.ɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #322 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for trying, with forms such as "rtying", "triyng", and "trrying". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tying", "tryna", "typing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From try + -ing. The correct English form is trying, spelled T-R-Y-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Difficult to endure; arduous.
  2. 2
    Irritating, stressful or bothersome.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Do you not find," he said, "that with your short sight it is a little trying to do so much typewriting?"
  2. Troutbeck is a tiny village midway between Penrith and Keswick in a very sparsely populated part of Cumberland, and it used to be said by facetious travellers that the reason why it ever had a station at all was to give the engine a rest after it had struggled up the long and trying incline from Threlkeld.

Etymology

From try + -ing.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtying
  • triyng
  • trrying
  • tryign
  • tryingg
  • tryinng
  • trynig
  • tryying
  • ttrying
  • tyring

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of trying - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

rtying2triyng2trrying1tryign2tryingg1tryinng1trynig2tryying1
Edit distance from "trying"

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 "trying"?
"trying" is spelled T-R-Y-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹaɪ.ɪŋ/.
What does "trying" mean?
As an adjective, "trying" means: Difficult to endure; arduous.
What words are commonly confused with "trying"?
"trying" is commonly confused with "tying", "tryna", "typing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "trying"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trying" is /ˈtɹaɪ.ɪŋ/. 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 "trying"?
From try + -ing. 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 "trying", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list