Alanna Madden
August 5, 2020
Grammar Tips
The verb enquire traditionally means ‘to ask,’ while inquire means ‘to formally investigate.’ Nowadays, American and British English speakers prefer to use “inquire” for all definitions, leaving “enquire” as a lesser-known British variant.
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
If you’re asking for information, are you inquiring or enquiring? As it turns out, you’re doing both! Unlike most verb variants, the words inquire and enquire mostly represent the same action. However, there are times when inquire carries a different connotation than enquire.
For the most part, grammarians stay true to the verb’s traditional distinctions:
However, contemporary English rarely makes a distinction between the verb’s meanings anymore, which means the main difference between inquire and enquire involves national variants:
We have good news, though. While “enquire” and “enquiry” are primarily used in the United Kingdom, the spellings of “inquire” and “inquiry” are actually the typical spellings within British and American English.
So, no matter where you are, “inquiry” is the most-correct spelling to use. Pretty simple, right?
In case you’re wondering which came first, the spelling of “inquire” meets the classic benchmark. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the verb inquire entered the Modern English language via Old English enquerre and Middle English enquiren.
But before crossing the Atlantic, the verb enquerre originated from Old French enquerre, which stems from Vulgar Latin inquaerere and Latin inquirere for In- (‘into’) + quaerere (‘to seek’).
If you’re interested in learning more about the difference between American and British English, we recommend reading “theatre vs. theater.” Otherwise, The Word Counter has ‘inquired’ into several other British English vs. American English terms, such as:
While it’s ‘all fine and good’ to brush off differences between inquire and enquire, professional style guides often enforce grammar rules for such terms. But this time, we’re pleased to report that both the Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook prefer “inquire” and “inquiry” over “enquire” and “enquiry.”
Writers in the UK can also rejoice, as prominent British style guides also follow suit of “inquiry” over “enquiry,” whether it’s The Guardian, BBC News, or the University of Oxford Style Guide. Simplicity for the win!
Writing tip: If your spellchecker keeps flagging the traditional use of “enquire,” try using up-to-date programs like Grammarly.
The word inquire (also enquire) is a verb that describes the act of questioning, investigating, politely asking a question, or analyzing. Verb forms of inquire include: inquire (present tense), inquired (past participle), and inquiring (the present participle).
For example,
“I’m inquiring about an open position.” (present continuous)
“My mother inquired about your services.” (simple past tense)
“Can you inquire to the extent of damages?” (present tense)
The verb inquire is found within the noun inquirer (‘one who inquires’) and the adverb inquiringly (‘in an inquisitive manner’). As a noun, we can also use inquiry to mean ‘research,’ ‘an investigation,’ or a ‘request for information.’ Similarly to the verb, the noun enquiry is more common for British English.
Example sentences:
“The inquirer is a reporter for the New York Times.” (noun)
“After the attorney’s opening statement, the judge looked inquiringly toward the defendant.” (adverb)
“We received an inquiry on your behalf regarding last year’s tax return.” (noun)
The verb inquire is found with phrasal verbs like “inquire after,” “inquire for,” and “inquire into.” To “inquire after” is to seek information about someone out of consideration (and especially when it involves their health or condition). For example,
“Tell father to inquire after our mother’s health.”
The phrase “inquire for” means ‘to ask to visit’ or ‘to ask to speak to’ someone. For example,
“While you were asleep, your friend had inquired for you.”
English speakers also use the phrase “inquire into” to mean ‘to investigate’ or ‘look into’ something. For example,
“I’d like to inquire into the state’s records of arrests in 2019.”
Lastly, it’s common to read the phrase “inquire within” within ads or on notices located on a business’s storefront. This particular phrase often references job opportunities or temporary offers. For example,
“Wanted: full-time writer. Inquire within.”
Ask, challenge, cross-examine, examine, grill, interrogate, poll, quiz, question, query, survey.
Answer, acknowledge, comment, communicate, correspond, counter, react, rebut, refute, remark, reply, respond, retort, return, riposte.
Regardless of the context, English speakers can use the verbs inquire and enquire interchangeably. But if you’re writing for a formal audience, it might help to use these spellings in a specific manner.
The traditional use of inquire conveys the act of a formal investigation, but we can also use the verb in a general sense to mean ‘ask for information.’ For example,
“The police are inquiring into the disappearance of two Labradoodles.”
“Local physicians are inquiring into the increased incidence of respiratory failure.”
“Jim’s dad is inquiring about his overdrawn bank account.”
“Many students are inquiring about the increase of college tuition.”
“I’m inquiring about the open editing position.”
“The principal inquires into any locker that smells suspicious.”
If you must use enquire in a sentence, make sure the verb conveys a casual pursuit of information. For example,
“Mother enquired about my grades from last year.”
“Have you enquired your father about buying more snacks?”
To remember the difference between enquire and inquire, simply associate the “E” of “enquire” with “England.” As we now know, the spelling of “enquire” is chiefly a British variant of “inquire,” although “inquire” is more common for all American and British English speakers.
Summary:
Enquire = E = England
Test how well you understand commonly confused words like enquire vs. inquire with the following multiple-choice questions.
Answers
