Try On vs Try Out

Try on is for clothes and checking the fit, while try out is for testing something to see if it works.

What Does Each One Mean?

Both phrasal verbs are about trying something. The small word tells you what kind of trying.

Try on means to put clothes on to see how they fit and look.
Try out means to test something to see how good it is or whether it works.

I tried on the red jacket. It was far too big.
I tried out the new bike. It was very fast.

🗣️ Natural Examples

Try on: clothes and how they fit

Can I try these shoes on, please?
She tried on three hats and chose the tallest one.
Mum tried on her old school jumper, and it still fit.

Try out: testing something

Let's try out the new board game tonight.
He tried his new recipe out on his cousins.
The teacher tried out a different way of explaining fractions.

✂️ Can You Separate It?

Yes. Both are separable.

With a noun, both places are fine.
✅ Try on the hat.
✅ Try the hat on.
✅ Try out the game.
✅ Try the game out.

With it, them, him, her, the small word goes at the end.
✅ Try it on.
✅ Try them out.
❌ Try on it.
❌ Try out them.

🛠️ How to Use It

Past tense: tried on and tried out. Past participle: tried on and tried out.
Try on: mostly for clothes, shoes, hats and glasses. You are checking the fit and the look.
Try out: for things that work or do something. Games, recipes, bikes, ideas.
Try out on someone: you test something with people. She tried her joke out on her brother.
Try out for: in North American English, try out for means to compete for a place, such as on a team or in a school play. He is trying out for the football team.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

Clothes are tried on. Trying out clothes sounds like you are testing how they work.
❌ I tried out the new jeans in the shop.
✅ I tried on the new jeans in the shop.

Things that work are tried out. You do not put a bike on.
❌ I tried on the new bike.
✅ I tried out the new bike.

Put the pronoun in the middle.
❌ I tried on it.
✅ I tried it on.

💬 In a Conversation

Ava: Can I try on your superhero cape?
Jack: Sure. But first, try it out on the dog.
Ava: Why?
Jack: To see if it flies.

💡 The OddLingo Trick

Ask: what are you checking?

If it goes on your body, it is try on.
If you are testing whether it works, it is try out, as if you took it outside to see what it can do.

👯 Similar Expressions

test: a plain word for the try out meaning. We tested the game.
Put on: to wear something. You put on a coat, but you try on a coat when you are not sure you want it.
Check out: to look at something with interest. It can mean to look at something new, so it is a different job from testing it.