Try

VERBhigh frequency – top 500 wordsA1GeneralBusinessAcademicLegal

πŸ”Š Pronunciation

/traΙͺ/
Syllables: try
Stress: single syllable
Consistent pronunciation across varieties

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§β€πŸ‘¦ Word Family

Word Class Forms
Verbs try, tries, tried, trying
Nouns try, trial, trying
Adjectives trying
Adverbs tryingly
The noun 'trial' is a related but distinct lexeme

πŸ“– Meanings & Definitions

Noun Meanings

1

an attempt or effort to do something
“Let's give it another try”
“It's worth a try”
Synonyms: attempt, effort

neutralgeneral

2

a legal hearing or trial (especially in rugby)
“The case will come to try next month”
“He scored a try in the final minute”
Synonyms: trial, hearing

formallegal/sports

Verb Meanings

1

to make an attempt or effort to do something
“I'll try to finish this today”
“She tried her best”
Synonyms: attempt, endeavor, strive

neutralgeneral

2

to test something to see if it works or is suitable
“Try these shoes on”
“Try the soup”
Synonyms: test, sample, experiment with

neutralgeneral

3

to examine evidence and judge in court
“The case will be tried next month”
Synonyms: judge, hear

formallegal

πŸ”§ Verb Patterns

try + to-infinitive
“I'll try to help you”
try + gerund
“Try adding more salt”
Note: Suggests experimenting with an action
try + object
“Try the new restaurant”

Transitivity

Type: both
Passive forms: “The case will be tried in court” “Various methods were tried”

🀝 Collocations

Verb + Noun

make an attemptgive it a try

Adjective + Noun

fair trialhard try

⚠️ Common Errors

❌ I try solving this problemβ†’βœ“ I'll try to solve this problem
Confusion between gerund and infinitive patterns
Common for: Common in Asian language speakers

Medium impact

❌ Try solve thisβ†’βœ“ Try to solve this
Omission of 'to' with infinitive
❌ I am trying since morningβ†’βœ“ I have been trying since morning
Wrong aspect with time expression

πŸ“Š Register & Frequency

Frequency: top 1000 words
Spoken: common
Written: common
Academic: common
Business: common
Formality: neutral