Inquiry or enquiry?

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Inquiry or enquiry? Inquire or Enquire? What’s the difference?

Traditionally, enquiry with an e is used in the general sense of to ask. As in: "The doctor made an enquiry about my general health."

Inquiry with an i, has connotations of a formal investigation, as in:
"The police have launched an official inquiry into organised crime."

The way to remember this distinction, is to associate inquiry with other ‘in’ words associated with formal, official probes, for example:

Investigation
Inspection
Inquest
Inquisition

Increasingly the difference between enquiry and inquiry isn’t about meaning, but geography.

Inquiry with an ‘i’ is more popular in the US, while enquiry with an e is more popular in the UK.

If you’re writing for US readers, you can probably use inquiry with an i for both meanings.

I’m Dr Clare Lynch of Doris and Bertie. Subscribe to the channel for more quick writing tips.