What is the difference between try to and try -ing?

Try to plus an infinitive is an effort: I tried to radio the office, but the fog swallowed the signal. Try plus -ing is an experiment with a method: Try radioing from the hatch. If success is in doubt, you probably want try to. If you are suggesting a technique, you want try -ing.

How do stop to and stop -ing differ?

Stop to plus infinitive means you pause in order to do that action: She stopped to tie a line. Stop plus -ing means the activity ends: She stopped tying a line. A useful test is to insert in order to. If it fits, you want the infinitive.

When do I use remember to and remember -ing?

Remember to looks forward to a duty: Remember to badge in. Remember plus -ing looks back at a memory: I remember badging in; the machine clicked twice. Forget splits the same way: I forgot to feed the yeast (duty missed) versus I'll never forget feeding it on the barge (a memory that stays).

Does need take -ing or to?

Both, with different subjects: I need to recaulk the hatch puts the duty on me, while The hatch needs recaulking (or needs to be recaulked) puts the requirement on the hatch, with a passive sense. Do not write needs to recaulking; want plus -ing (wants recaulking) is informal British and optional.

Is this the same as the gerund-or-infinitive lists?

No: that page sorts verbs into to-only, -ing-only, and both-with-little-change (like, begin, start), while this page is the meaning-change set (try, stop, remember, forget, regret, go on, and need). Swapping the form here rewrites the story; swapping it after like usually does not.

English grammar · Intermediate

Try To vs. Try -ing: Verbs Whose Meaning Changes

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

A small set of verbs take both a to-infinitive and an -ing form, and the choice changes the meaning. Try to radio is an effort; try radioing is an experiment. Stop to tie a line is a purpose pause; stop tying means the activity ends. Remember, forget, regret, go on, and need split the same way. This page is only those meaning pairs, not the three long lists of verbs that take only to, only -ing, or both with little change.

I tried to radio the office, but the fog swallowed the signal.

try to: make an effort, with success not guaranteed

What it is

Most verbs pick one complement and keep it: decide to leave, enjoy leaving. Seven everyday verbs keep both patterns and charge a meaning fee for the choice. Try to plus infinitive is effort (I tried to radio). Try plus -ing is experiment (Try radioing from the hatch). Stop to plus infinitive is a pause in order to do something. Stop plus -ing ends the activity. Remember / forget / regret plus -ing look back at a memory; plus to look forward to a duty. Go on plus -ing continues; go on to plus infinitive moves to the next stage. Need plus to is a requirement on the subject; need plus -ing (or to be plus participle) is a requirement on the object.

I tried to start the blender. (effort: I may have failed.) I tried starting the blender on pulse. (experiment: a method I tested.)

How to spot it

Find try, stop, remember, forget, regret, go on, or need, then look at whether to or -ing follows. Ask whether the second verb is an effort, a memory, a purpose pause, a continuation, or a duty. If switching to the other form would still mean almost the same thing (like, love, hate, begin, start), you are on the three-list page, not this one.

Try adding a pinch of yeast. (try -ing: experiment with a method)
I tried to add the yeast, but the lid was stuck. (try to: effort that failed)
She stopped to tie the line. (stop to: paused in order to tie)
She stopped tying the line. (stop -ing: the tying ended)

Need plus -ing has a passive sense: The hatch needs recaulking means someone should recaulk it. Need to recaulk means the subject has a duty.

Try To vs. Try -ing Quick Reference

Meaning pairs: to-infinitive versus -ing

Verb	To-infinitive	-ing form
try	effort: I tried to radio (I made an attempt)	experiment: Try radioing from the hatch (test a method)
stop	pause in order to: She stopped to tie a line	end the activity: She stopped tying
remember	duty ahead: Remember to badge in	memory: I remember badging in
forget	duty not done: I forgot to badge in	memory gone: I'll never forget badging in that dawn
regret	bad news about to be delivered: I regret to say...	memory of a past act: I regret saying that
go on	next stage: She went on to file the index	continue: She went on filing until dusk
need	subject's duty: I need to recaulk the hatch	object's need (passive sense): The hatch needs recaulking
mean (bonus)	intend: I meant to radio	involve: The job means radioing at dusk

Common Try To vs. Try -ing Examples in English

Each pair in a situation where swapping the form would change the story:

Try and Stop

I tried to start the blender, but the fuse had gone.: try to: effort, and here it failed
Try pulsing the blender; the yeast cake may loosen.: try -ing: a method to experiment with
We stopped to listen to the podcast under the hatch.: stop to: we paused so that we could listen
We stopped listening when the hoist alarm cut in.: stop -ing: the listening ended

If you can add in order to, you want stop to. If you can add the activity, you want stop -ing. If you can add as an experiment, you want try -ing.

Remember and Forget

Remember to badge in before you touch the hoist.: remember to: a duty still ahead
I remember badging in; the machine clicked twice.: remember -ing: a memory of a past act
I forgot to feed the yeast starter.: forget to: the duty was not done
I'll never forget feeding the starter on the barge.: forget -ing: a memory that remains, often with never

Forget plus -ing is less common than remember plus -ing, and it often sits with never or won't. Forget to is the everyday duty failure.

Regret and Go On

I regret to say the sailing is cancelled.: regret to: a formal announcement, usually say, inform, tell
I regret saying the sailing was safe.: regret -ing: I wish I had not said it
She went on filing the index until dusk.: go on -ing: she continued the same activity
She went on to file the monograph after the index.: go on to: she moved to the next stage

Regret to say / inform / tell is a closed, formal set. Go on to plus infinitive often marks a career or sequence: she went on to skipper the barge.

Need, Mean, and Help

I need to recaulk the hatch before the frost.: need to: I have a duty
The hatch needs recaulking before the frost.: need -ing: the hatch should be recaulked, passive sense
I meant to radio at dusk.: mean to: I intended
The job means radioing at dusk.: mean -ing: the job involves that activity

Need recaulking and need to be recaulked are both standard; the -ing version is shorter and common in British English. Help takes either form with little change: help us (to) lift the crate.

How the Meaning Split Works

Four questions sort the seven verbs: effort or experiment, pause or end, memory or duty, continue or next stage.

Try: Effort Versus Experiment

Try to plus infinitive means make an attempt, often against difficulty. Success is not guaranteed and is often denied in the next clause. Try plus -ing means test a method to see if it helps. You can try several -ing methods in a row. Mixing them (I tried to pulsing) is a form error; choosing the wrong one (I tried to add yeast as a casual suggestion) is a meaning error.

I tried to open the lid. Try tapping the lid.

effort that may fail; then an experimental method

Try to = attempt. Try -ing = test a method.

Stop: Purpose Pause Versus End

Stop to plus infinitive means interrupt what you were doing in order to do the infinitive. Stop plus -ing means the -ing activity ceases. She stopped to tie a line (she paused, then tied). She stopped tying a line (the tying ended). The same split appears with go on: continue versus move on.

He stopped to check the yeast. He stopped checking the yeast.

paused in order to check; versus the checking ended

Stop to = in order to. Stop -ing = end it.

Remember, Forget, Regret: Ahead Versus Behind

With to, these verbs look forward to a duty or a formal announcement: remember to badge in, forget to feed the starter, regret to say. With -ing, they look back at a past act as a memory or a remorse: I remember badging in, I'll never forget feeding the starter, I regret saying that. Time is the switch, not formality alone, except for the closed set regret to say / inform / tell.

Remember to radio. I remember radioing.

duty still to do; memory of having done it

To = ahead. -ing = behind.

Need: Whose Requirement?

Need to plus infinitive puts the duty on the subject: I need to recaulk the hatch. Need plus -ing puts the requirement on the thing named as subject, with a passive sense: The hatch needs recaulking (someone should recaulk it). Need to be plus a past participle is the longer passive twin: The hatch needs to be recaulked. Do not write The hatch needs to recaulking.

I need to recaulk it. It needs recaulking.

subject's duty versus object's need

Need to = I must. Need -ing = it must be done.

Common Mistakes with Try To vs. Try -ing

Incorrect: I tried to adding yeast, then I stopped to mixing.

Correct: I tried adding yeast, then I stopped mixing.

To and -ing cannot stack on the same verb. Try adding is the experiment frame. Stop mixing ends the activity. Tried to add would be effort; stopped to mix would be a purpose pause.

Incorrect: Remember badge in before you touch the hoist.

Correct: Remember to badge in before you touch the hoist.

A duty still ahead takes remember to plus infinitive. Remember badging in would look back at a memory. The bare verb after remember is not a legal third option.

Incorrect: The hatch needs to recaulking.

Correct: The hatch needs recaulking. / The hatch needs to be recaulked.

Need plus -ing, or need to be plus a participle, never need to plus -ing. I need to recaulk it is the other frame, with I as the person who must act.

Incorrect: She went on to filing the index all afternoon.

Correct: She went on filing the index all afternoon.

Continuation of the same activity is go on plus -ing. Go on to plus infinitive would mean she moved to a new stage (she went on to file the monograph). Mixing to with -ing produces a hybrid that is neither.

Need -ing, Mean, and Help

Three extras sit on the edge of the seven: a passive-sense need, a second meaning of mean, and a verb that does not really split.

Need + -ing versus need to be + participle

The hatch needs recaulking and The hatch needs to be recaulked mean the same. Both put the requirement on the hatch. I need to recaulk it puts the duty on me. Want can copy the -ing pattern in informal British English (The hatch wants recaulking), which learners can recognise but need not produce.

The blender needs cleaning.: need -ing, passive sense
The blender needs to be cleaned.: the longer twin
I need to clean the blender.: need to: my duty

Need recaulked without to be or -ing is not standard. Keep one of the two full frames.

Mean to versus mean -ing

Mean to plus infinitive is intend. Mean plus -ing is involve or entail. I meant to radio (intention). The crossing means radioing at dusk (the job includes that).

I meant to feed the yeast, but the loft was dark.: mean to: intention, often unfulfilled
Skippering means radioing, even in fog.: mean -ing: the role involves that
Sorry, I meant to say Thursday, not Tuesday.: mean to say: a correction of intention

I mean saying Thursday is not a correction; it would claim that your meaning involves the act of saying. Keep mean to say for repairs.

Help, and verbs that do not belong here

Help takes a bare infinitive or a to-infinitive with no real meaning change: help us lift, help us to lift. Begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer also take both with little change. They are membership-list verbs, not meaning-change verbs, and they are not practised here.

Help me lift the crate. Help me to lift the crate.: help: both forms, same job
She started to pulse the blender. She started pulsing it.: start: both forms, almost the same
I like to listen to a podcast while I proof the index.: like to: a preference about a habit; like listening is close

If you can swap the form and keep the plot, leave this page. The seven verbs above are the ones that punish a swap.

Quick Check: Try To vs. Try -ing

Choose the to-infinitive or the -ing form so the meaning matches the note.

1. The lid is stuck. Try ___ (tap) it with a spoon. (experiment)

Answer: tapping

try -ing = test a method

2. I tried ___ (radio) the office, but the fog swallowed the signal. (effort)

Answer: to radio

try to = attempt

3. We stopped ___ (tie) the line; a barge was drifting. (pause in order to)

Answer: to tie

stop to = purpose pause

4. Remember ___ (badge) in before you touch the hoist. (duty ahead)

Answer: to badge

remember to

5. The hatch needs ___ (recaulk) before the frost. (the hatch must be done)

Answer: recaulking / to be recaulked

need -ing has a passive sense

6. I regret ___ (say) the sailing was safe. (I wish I had not)

Answer: saying

regret -ing = past act

Try To vs. Try -ing FAQs

What is the difference between try to and try -ing?: Try to plus an infinitive is an effort: I tried to radio the office, but the fog swallowed the signal. Try plus -ing is an experiment with a method: Try radioing from the hatch. If success is in doubt, you probably want try to. If you are suggesting a technique, you want try -ing.
How do stop to and stop -ing differ?: Stop to plus infinitive means you pause in order to do that action: She stopped to tie a line. Stop plus -ing means the activity ends: She stopped tying a line. A useful test is to insert in order to. If it fits, you want the infinitive.
When do I use remember to and remember -ing?: Remember to looks forward to a duty: Remember to badge in. Remember plus -ing looks back at a memory: I remember badging in; the machine clicked twice. Forget splits the same way: I forgot to feed the yeast (duty missed) versus I'll never forget feeding it on the barge (a memory that stays).
Does need take -ing or to?: Both, with different subjects: I need to recaulk the hatch puts the duty on me, while The hatch needs recaulking (or needs to be recaulked) puts the requirement on the hatch, with a passive sense. Do not write needs to recaulking; want plus -ing (wants recaulking) is informal British and optional.
Is this the same as the gerund-or-infinitive lists?: No: that page sorts verbs into to-only, -ing-only, and both-with-little-change (like, begin, start), while this page is the meaning-change set (try, stop, remember, forget, regret, go on, and need). Swapping the form here rewrites the story; swapping it after like usually does not.