Trys or Tries: Which Spelling Is Correct?

Tries is the correct spelling. Trys is not the standard English spelling.

Use tries in two main situations:

• As the third-person singular present-tense form of the verb try:
  • He tries to help.
  • She tries her best.
  • It tries to connect.
• As the plural noun of try:
  • I gave it three tries.
  • She succeeded after several tries.

The spelling changes because try ends in a consonant followed by y. In the third-person singular present tense and in the plural of the noun, the y changes to i before -es:

try → tries

This is the same spelling pattern found in words such as cry → cries, fly → flies, study → studies, and carry → carries. Major Dictionaries list tries as the standard form of try.

Trys or Tries: Quick Answer

Form	Correct?	Example
trys	❌ No	She trys to help.
tries	✅ Yes	She tries to help.
try	✅ Yes	I try to help.
tried	✅ Yes	She tried to help.
trying	✅ Yes	She is trying to help.

If you are choosing between trys and tries, choose tries.

Correct

He tries to finish his work early.

Incorrect

He trys to finish his work early.

The incorrect form trys is easy to produce because learners may assume that the third-person singular of every verb is formed by simply adding -s. However, verbs ending in consonant + y follow a different spelling pattern.

Why Is “Tries” Correct?

The base form is try.

When try is used with a singular third-person subject such as he, she, or it in the simple present, its spelling changes:

try → tries

The final y changes to i, and -es is added.

For example:

• try → tries
• cry → cries
• dry → dries
• fly → flies
• reply → replies
• study → studies
• carry → carries
• worry → worries
• copy → copies

Merriam-Webster gives the standard forms of try as tried and trying, while Oxford lists tries as the third-person singular present form.

So:

I try every day.

but:

She tries every day.

What Is the Consonant + Y Rule?

A useful spelling rule is:

When a word ends in a consonant + y, the y usually changes to i before -es in the third-person singular present form.

The basic pattern is:

consonant + y → ies

Examples:

Base Verb	Third-Person Singular
try	tries
cry	cries
fly	flies
study	studies
carry	carries
hurry	hurries
reply	replies
identify	identifies

Example

I study every evening.

With a third-person singular subject:

She studies every evening.

Likewise:

I try my best.

becomes:

He tries his best.

Important distinction

The rule is not simply “every word ending in y becomes ies.” The letter immediately before y matters.

Compare:

• try → tries
• study → studies
• carry → carries

with:

• play → plays
• enjoy → enjoys
• stay → stays

When Does Y Stay the Same?

When a verb ends in a vowel + y, the y normally stays unchanged when forming the third-person singular present.

Base Verb	Correct Form
play	plays
enjoy	enjoys
stay	stays
obey	obeys
employ	employs

Notice:

She plays tennis.

not:

She plaies tennis.

And:

He enjoys the movie.

not:

He enjoies the movie.

Compare this with:

She tries to help.

Here, the letter before y is r, a consonant.

Easy comparison

Consonant + y:

try → tries

Vowel + y:

play → plays

This distinction is particularly useful when learning English spelling patterns.

Try vs. Tries: What Is the Difference?

Both try and tries are correct English words. The difference is mainly grammatical.

In the simple present:

• I try
• you try
• we try
• they try
• he tries
• she tries
• it tries

Subject–verb agreement table

Subject	Correct Form	Example
I	try	I try every day.
You	try	You try very hard.
He	tries	He tries every day.
She	tries	She tries her best.
It	tries	It tries to restart.
We	try	We try again.
They	try	They try to solve it.

Therefore:

He tries.

not:

He trys.

And:

They try.

not:

They tries.

This is why the question is not only about spelling. It is also about subject–verb agreement.

Try, Tries, Tried, and Trying: Complete Word Forms

Understanding the complete set of forms makes the spelling much easier to remember.

Form	Grammatical Function	Example
try	Base form	I try every day.
tries	Third-person singular present	She tries every day.
tried	Past tense/past participle	She tried yesterday.
trying	-ing form	She is trying now.

Oxford gives the same core conjugation: try, tries, tried, trying.

Try

Use try as the base form:

I try to stay positive.

It also follows modal verbs:

She can try again.

You should try another method.

They will try tomorrow.

Tries

Use tries with a third-person singular subject:

He tries to understand.

She tries a different approach.

The computer tries to reconnect.

Tried

The past form is:

tried

not tryed.

Examples:

She tried to call me.

We tried several solutions.

Trying

The -ing form is:

trying

not trying.

Examples:

He is trying to improve.

They are trying again.

Notice that the y remains in trying.

How to Use “Tries” in a Sentence

“Tries” as a verb

Use tries when a singular third-person subject performs the action.

• He tries to arrive on time.
• She tries to eat healthy food.
• The dog tries to open the door.
• My brother tries to help everyone.
• The machine tries to restart automatically.
• Sarah tries a new recipe every weekend.
• The student tries to answer every question.
• The company tries to reduce costs.

“Tries” as a noun

Tries can also mean multiple attempts:

• It took three tries to open the lock.
• She passed after several tries.
• He had two tries at the competition.
• After many tries, they solved the puzzle.
• I gave it a few tries before giving up.

So tries can have two grammatical functions:

Verb: She tries to help.

Noun: She made three tries.

The surrounding sentence tells you which meaning is intended. Cambridge explicitly lists tries as the plural noun form of try.

He Tries or He Trys?

The correct form is:

He tries.

The incorrect form is:

❌ He trys.

Because he is a third-person singular subject, the verb try takes its third-person singular form:

try → tries

Correct examples

• He tries his best.
• He tries to learn quickly.
• He tries again.
• He tries every possible solution.
• He tries to finish before dinner.

Incorrect examples

• ❌ He trys his best.
• ❌ He trys to learn quickly.
• ❌ He trys again.

She Tries or She Trys?

The correct spelling is:

She tries.

Not:

❌ She trys.

Examples:

• She tries to stay calm.
• She tries a new method.
• She tries to improve her writing.
• She tries again after making a mistake.
• She tries to solve the problem herself.

The same spelling rule applies to he, she, and it.

They Try, or They Tries?

This is another common mistake.

The correct sentence is:

They try their best.

Not:

❌ They tries their best.

Why? Because they take the base form try in the simple present.

Compare:

She tries her best.

They try their best.

The distinction is grammatical:

Singular third person → tries

I/you/we/they → try

Is “Tries” Also a Noun?

Yes.

Try can be a noun meaning an attempt, and its plural form is tries. Cambridge lists try as a noun with tries as its plural.

Singular

Give it one try.

Plural

Give it several tries.

More examples:

• I gave the puzzle three tries.
• She succeeded after several tries.
• He had one more try.
• They made five tries before finding the solution.

Therefore, tries is not exclusively a verb.

It can be:

1. A third-person singular present verb
2. A plural noun

Explore More: https://wordminto.com/bmw-or-mercedes/

What Does “Try” Mean?

The word try has several meanings depending on context.

1. To make an attempt

I will try to finish the project.

2. To test something

Try this new method.

3. To taste or experience something

Try the soup.

4. To attempt to achieve something

She tried to win the competition.

5. To test someone’s patience

You’re trying my patience.

Cambridge defines try as both an attempt and an action undertaken to test whether something works or is suitable.

Try to + Verb

One of the most common structures is:

try + to + base verb

Examples:

• I try to study every day.
• She tries to understand the lesson.
• He tries to help his friends.
• They try to solve the problem.

With a third-person singular subject:

She tries to learn English.

Not:

❌ She tries to learns English.

After to, use the base form of the verb.

Try to vs. Try + -ing

These structures can express slightly different ideas.

Try to open the door.

This emphasizes the attempt to perform the action.

Try opening the door.

This suggests opening the door as a possible method or solution.

Cambridge provides examples of both try to + verb and try + -ing constructions.

Try + -ing

Use:

try + verb-ing

When suggesting an action as a possible solution or experiment.

Examples:

• Try using a different password.
• Try opening the window.
• Try taking a short break.
• Try changing the settings.
• Try restarting the computer.

Compare:

Try to restart the computer.

This focuses on the attempt.

Try restarting the computer.

This suggests restarting as a possible solution.

Try Out, Try On, and Try For

The word try also appears in several common expressions.

Try out

Try out means to test or use something to see how well it works.

I want to try out this new software.

She tries out different techniques.

Try on

Try on means to put on clothing to see whether it fits or looks suitable.

She tries on several dresses.

I want to try on these shoes.

Try for

Try for means to attempt to obtain or achieve something.

He will try for the championship.

She tries for a promotion every year.

These expressions are especially useful for ESL learners because the form of try still changes according to the grammatical structure.

Modal Verbs: Use “Try,” Not “Tries”

A particularly common error occurs after modal verbs.

After modal verbs such as can, could, should, would, may, might, must, and will, use the base form try.

Correct

She can try again.

He should try harder.

They will try tomorrow.

You might try another approach.

Incorrect

She can tries again.

He should tries harder.

They will tries tomorrow.

The modal verb is followed by the base form of the main verb.

So remember:

can try

should try

will try

not:

can tries

should tries

will tries

Common Mistakes With Try and Tries

Mistake 1: Writing “trys”

❌ She trys to help.

✅ She tries to help.

Mistake 2: Writing “tryed”

❌ He tryed to call.

✅ He tried to call.

Mistake 3: Writing “triing”

❌ They are triing again.

✅ They are trying again.

Mistake 4: Using “tries” with plural subjects

❌ They tries their best.

✅ They try their best.

Mistake 5: Using “tries” after a modal

❌ She will tries again.

✅ She will try again.

Mistake 6: Forgetting the third-person change

❌ He try every day.

✅ He tries every day.

Trys or Tries in British and American English

There is no British-versus-American spelling difference between trys and tries.

Both British and American English use:

tries

and not:

trys

Oxford lists tries as the third-person singular form, while Cambridge gives the same standard form across its British and American dictionary resources.

So:

• American English: tries
• British English: tries
• Canadian English: tries
• Australian English: tries

The difference between try and tries is grammatical, not regional.

Is “Trys” a Word?

In standard English, trys is not the standard spelling of the ordinary third-person singular form of try or its plural noun form.

Use:

tries

instead.

For example:

✅ She tries again.

✅ He made three tries.

❌ She trys again.

❌ He made three trys.

If you encounter trys online, it will generally be a misspelling or nonstandard use rather than the standard form of try. Current dictionary entries identify tries as the established verb and noun form.

Trys or Tries in a Sentence

Incorrect	Correct
He trys hard.	He tries hard.
She trys again.	She tries again.
It trys to work.	It tries to work.
They tries again.	They try again.
I tries every day.	I try every day.
She will tries again.	She will try again.
He tryed yesterday.	He tried yesterday.
She is triing again.	She is trying again.

This table highlights an important point: not every incorrect sentence should simply be changed from trys to tries. The correct form depends on the subject, tense, and grammatical structure.

How to Remember “Try → Tries”

Use this simple memory rule:

Consonant + Y → IES

Therefore:

TRY → TRIES

A useful group to memorize is:

• cry → cries
• fly → flies
• dry → dries
• try → tries
• study → studies
• carry → carries

Another easy memory trick

Remember this sentence:

She tries, but they try.

It helps you remember both the spelling and subject–verb agreement.

• She → tries
• They → try

Trys or Tries: Quick Grammar Test

Choose the correct answer.

1. She ___ to improve every day.

A. trys
B. tries

Answer: B — tries

She tries to improve every day.

2. They ___ to arrive early.

A. try
B. tries

Answer: A — try

They try to arrive early.

3. He ___ his best.

A. trys
B. tries

Answer: B — tries

He tries his best.

4. We ___ several times.

A. try
B. tries

Answer: A — try

We try several times.

5. It ___ to restart.

A. trys
B. tries

Answer: B — tries

It tries to restart.

6. She ___ again tomorrow.

A. will try
B. will tries

Answer: A — will try

She will try again tomorrow.

7. He ___ yesterday.

A. tryed
B. tried

Answer: B — tried

He tried yesterday.

8. They are ___ again.

A. triing
B. trying

Answer: B — trying

They are trying again.

People Also Ask

Final Answer: Trys or Tries?

The correct spelling is tries.

Trys is not the standard English form.

Use tries:

• with he, she, or it in the simple present;
• as the plural noun form of try.

Examples:

He tries his best.

She tries again.

It tries to connect.

They made three tries.

The most important spelling pattern is:

consonant + y → ies

Therefore:

TRY → TRIES

Once you understand this pattern, similar forms such as cry → cries, fly → flies, study → studies, and carry → carries become easier to recognize.

Bottom line: tries is correct; trys is not.