Trier or Tryer?

Should I Write "Trier" or "Tryer"?

"Trier" is a person who tries. "Tryer" is a spelling mistake in the UK and the US.

Trier

"Trier" is an unusual word as it has both a positive and a negative connotation. On one hand, it is a positive word because it refers to someone who tries hard, which is commendable. On the other hand, it is a negative word because it suggests that the person does not achieve results despite the extra effort.

• Sam usually falls short of his sales targets, but let's give him another chance because he's a trier.
• God loves a trier.
(This proverb, which is particularly common in Ireland, means "you failed but good effort nevertheless.")

The proper noun "Trier" (note the capital T) is a place in Germany. More specifically, Trier is a city in the Moselle wine region (i.e., on the Moselle river). It is located in a valley in west of Germany near the border with Luxembourg.

Tryer

The word "tryer" is a spelling mistake of "trier." Of interest, "tryer" is such a common misspelling of "trier," the Microsoft spellchecker no longer treats it as a spelling mistake. This suggests that "tryer" is starting to become an alternative spelling for "trier."

Is "tryer" acceptable in Scrabble?

If you've come to this page wondering whether to use "trier" or "tryer," then use "trier." If you've come here wondering whether "tryer" is acceptable in a word game like Bananagrams or Scrabble, then here's our judgement: "Tryer" is not a word. (Here's our evidence using Google's Ngram viewer.)

For the sake of completeness, it is worth saying that "tryer" is not a word in American English or British English.

Ready for the Test?

More about "Trier" and "Tryer"

The confusion over "trier" and "tryer" (from "to try") is understandable given that "flier" and "flyer" (from "to fly") both exist. A "flier" is a person or thing that flies, but a "flyer" is a leaflet. Historically, "flier" was used in American English to mean a leaflet, but nowadays Americans use "flyer" for a leaflet. So, there is a clear distinction between "flier" and "flyer." This is not the case with "trier" and "tryer." The word "tryer" is a spelling mistake.

Read more about flier and flyer.