Enquiry vs. Inquiry

The English language can be complicated at times, especially if you are not a native speaker, and your original language has little in common with English. To make matters worst, there is a myriad of words that are separated in spelling by just one letter, leaving folks (native speakers and non-native speakers alike) scratching their heads. One such example is enquiry vs. inquiry. Let’s takle this one head on.

Traditionally, to enquire simply meant “to ask,” while inquire was used for more formal investigations.
In the UK, these two words are used interchangeably, but inquire is still the more frequently used word for formal and official investigations.
In the US, inquire is the strongly preferred spelling for all uses.

For the most part, you can use both enquire or inquire and not make a mistake. However, these two words have been used in a slightly different way traditionally, at least in the UK, which makes them a pair of commonly confused words.

When to Use Inquire

Inquire is what you’d usually see in American English. It means to “ask” or “investigate”:

Example She went to the mall to inquire about a seasonal position.

In British English though, inquire is traditionally used for formal or official investigations and queries:

Example We asked Lord Byron to inquire into the matter of the new football stadium.

Today, the word inquire is used in both British English and American English to denote a general query.

Related: British vs. American spellings

When to Use Enquire

Enquire is primarily used in British English for the general meaning to “ask” or “investigate”:

Example We’ll go to Will and enquire about the chances of us getting a raise.

Although inquire is also often used in the same way as enquire in British English, it usually doesn’t go the other way around—enquire is not commonly used for official investigations or queries.