tryna

English

Alternative forms

• trynna, tryinna, try'na, try'n'a

Etymology

Written form of a reduction of trying to. The pronunciation of present participles with the sound /n/ rather than /ŋ/ has a long history (see g-dropping on Wikipedia).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪ(ə)nə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪnə

Contraction

tryna

1. (slang) trying to, intending to
   • 1993, “U.N.I.T.Y.”, in Black Reign, performed by Queen Latifah:

     Every time I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho / Tryna make a sister feel low / You know all of that gots to go

   • 2001, Adam F featuring MOP (lyrics and music), “Stand Clear”:

     You get caught in the middle, tryna dribble on my court

   • 2007 February 4, Kelefa Sanneh, “Friends, Feuds, Yelps, Sobs and a Swedish Nightingale”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     […] Mr. Kelly’s verse outshines all the others (“I’m tryna keep it R&B/But these streets is a part of me,” he sings, ascending into falsetto); he gives the chorus a tuneful makeover too.

   • 2019, Stormzy (lyrics and music), “Vossi Bop”:

     Catch me up in snowin, in my sliders and my shorts
     Chicks tryna get my brotha Flips to share his thoughts

   • 2019, Amanda Koci, Henry Walter, Charlie Puth, Maria Smith, Victor Thellm Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckle (lyrics and music), “So Am I”, performed by Ava Max:

     You're beautiful, but misunderstood
     So why you tryna be just like the neighborhood?

See also

• gonna, wanna, gotta, oughta, Imma

Anagrams

• ATryn, Taryn, ranty, tyran