B2idiomstudyIELTS-friendly
trial and error
USUK
a way of learning by trying different methods and seeing which ones work
Usually 'by trial and error' or 'through trial and error'. It is a noun phrase, so no plural.
In context
I learnt to make bánh xèo by trial and error; the first ten were terrible.
There's no manual, so we fixed the machine through trial and error.
Common mistake
Incorrect: I learnt to cook by try and error.
Correct: I learnt to cook by trial and error.
More idioms about study
- a bookworma person who loves reading and reads a lot
- a bright sparksaid ironically about someone whose clever idea was actually silly
- a closed booka subject that you do not understand or know anything about
- a crash coursea short course that teaches a lot in a very short time
- a dab hand at somethingvery good at a particular skill or activity