On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:44:57 +0100, scott wrote:

> There's a native English guy who *teaches* English to a class here (a
> friend of mine goes to it) and he writes "tryed"!  I can understand a
> non-native making that mistake when learning English, but there's no
> excuse for a native to do that, and especially not if he is teaching
> English.

That actually is a valid spelling, according to the Oxford English 
Dictionary.  As are treid, tryyd, tryede, and tryde.  This is from the 
verb form of the word, and from the definitions my copy of OED references 
this spelling for, is related to (for example) the extraction of oil from 
blubber or fat by heat - which derives usages deriving from "to sift 
out" (to ascertain, find out, by search or examination), or in law.

Admittedly, "tryed" is a rare form, considered largely obsolete in most 
cases, but it is nevertheless a valid spelling.

Jim

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