Trys or Tries? Correct Spelling, Rule & Examples

Tries is the correct spelling, while trys is not the standard form of try. Use tries with he, she, or it, as in “She tries again.” You also use tries as the plural of try, as in “It took three tries.”

In this article, you will learn why tries is correct, when to use try or tries, how the spelling rule works, and how to avoid common mistakes such as trys, tryed, and triing.

Trys or Tries: Quick Answer

If you are choosing between trys or tries, write tries.

Form	Correct?	Example
trys	No	She trys to help.
tries	Yes	She tries to help.

Tries has two common uses:

It is a verb with he, she, or it.
It is the plural noun form of try.

Examples:

He tries to arrive early.
She tries her best.
It took three tries to open the door.

For the standard forms of try, the correct spelling is tries, not trys.

Try vs Tries vs Tried vs Trying

The word try changes form depending on how you use it.

Form	Use	Example
try	I, you, we, they	They try again.
tries	he, she, it	She tries again.
tried	past	She tried yesterday.
trying	ongoing action	She is trying now.

This table gives you the main forms at a glance.

Why Does Try Become Tries?

When a word ends in a consonant + y, the y commonly changes to i before es is added.

So:

try → tries

The letter before the y in try is r, which is a consonant.

You can see the same pattern in other words:

Base Word	New Form
try	tries
cry	cries
fly	flies
study	studies
carry	carries
worry	worries

This rule explains why tries is correct and trys is not the standard spelling.

What If a Word Ends in Vowel + Y?

When a word ends in a vowel followed by y, you normally keep the y and add s.

Examples:

play → plays
stay → stays
enjoy → enjoys
buy → buys
say → says

Compare:

try → tries
play → plays

The letter before the y changes the spelling pattern.

When Do You Use Tries as a Verb?

Use tries in the simple present tense with:

he
she
it
one person
one animal
one thing

Examples:

He tries to wake up early.
She tries to save money.
James tries to help his friends.
The dog tries to catch the ball.
The computer tries to connect again.

Use try with I, you, we, and they.

Try vs Tries

Here is the simple pattern:

Subject	Correct Form	Example
I	try	I try every day.
You	try	You try again.
We	try	We try our best.
They	try	They try to help.
He	tries	He tries again.
She	tries	She tries to learn.
It	tries	It tries to start.

A quick way to remember it is:

I, you, we, they = try

He, she, it = tries

Common Subject Mistakes

These common forms are easy to mix up.

Correct:

He tries
She tries
It tries
They try
I try
We try
You try

Incorrect:

He trys
She trys
They tries
I tries

The subject tells you which form to use.

When Is Tries a Noun?

Tries can also mean more than one try.

As a noun, try often means an attempt to do something.

Examples:

It took three tries to open the lock.
I needed two tries to guess the answer.
She passed after several tries.
Give the puzzle a few more tries.
His first two tries did not work.

In these examples, tries means attempts.

For example:

It took three tries.

means:

It took three attempts.

Is It 3 Trys or 3 Tries?

Write 3 tries.

Do not write 3 trys.

The correct pattern is:

one try
two tries
three tries
five tries
several tries

Example:

It took me three tries to enter the correct password.

Why Is Trys Wrong?

Trys does not follow the normal spelling used for the standard forms of try.

Because try ends in a consonant followed by y, the spelling changes:

try → tries

So write:

She tries.
He tries.
It took two tries.

Do not write:

She trys.
He trys.
Two trys.

Want to Try or Want to Tries?

Use want to try.

After to, use the base form try.

Correct:

I want to try again.
She wants to try again.
He wants to try the new food.
They want to try another way.

Incorrect:

She wants to tries again.

Even though we say “she tries,” we say “she wants to try.”

Can Try or Can Tries?

Use can try.

After words such as can, could, should, will, may, and might, use the base form try.

Examples:

She can try again.
He should try harder.
They might try later.
We could try another way.
It may try to restart.

Do not write can tries.

Try, Tried, and Trying

The other main forms are also easy to learn.

Try

Use try with I, you, we, and they.

I try to read every day.
We try to help.
They try new ideas.

Tried

Use tried for the past.

I tried to call you.
She tried again yesterday.
They tried a new plan.

Trying

Use trying for an action that is happening or continuing.

I am trying to sleep.
She is trying to learn.
They are trying again.

Tryed or Tried?

Tried is correct.

Write:

try → tried

Do not write:

try → tryed

Examples:

She tried to help.
I tried my best.
We tried again.

Trying or Triing?

Trying is correct.

The word keeps the y before ing.

Correct:

try → trying

Incorrect:

try → triing

Examples:

She is trying to help.
I am trying to learn.
They are trying again.

Trys or Tries in Rugby?

The correct plural in rugby is also tries.

A try is a way of scoring points in rugby.

Examples:

The player scored one try.
The team scored three tries.
He scored two tries in the match.

So the pattern stays the same:

one try, two tries

How Do You Pronounce Tries?

Tries is pronounced /traɪz/, with a final z sound.

It sounds close to “trize.”

British and American English

Both British English and American English use tries.

Examples:

She tries to help.
He tries again.
It took three tries.

If cry becomes cries, try becomes tries.

Both words end in a consonant followed by y.

You can also remember:

Consonant + y commonly changes to i before es.

Examples:

cry → cries
fly → flies
try → tries

More Examples of Tries in Sentences

Tries as a Verb

Maria tries to walk every morning.
My brother tries to save money.
The teacher tries to make lessons easy.
The child tries to tie his shoes.
She tries to answer every question.
He tries not to laugh.

Tries as a Noun

I got the answer after two tries.
She needed several tries to learn the move.
His first three tries failed.
Give it a few more tries.
The game took four tries to complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is “trys” a word?

Trys is not the standard spelling of try. Use tries when you need the third person verb form or the plural noun.

What is the plural of try?

The plural of try is tries.

No, not when you mean the verb or plural noun.

Write:

She tries.

and:

three tries

Do not use try’s to make the normal plural.

What Does Tries Mean?

As a verb, tries means that someone makes an effort or attempts to do something.

As a noun, tries means more than one attempt.

Final Answer

When choosing between trys or tries, use tries in standard English.

Use tries with he, she, or it, as in “She tries her best.” Also use tries for more than one attempt, as in “It took three tries.”

Remember the simple pattern: try becomes tries, just as cry becomes cries.

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