Inquire or Enquire?

Inquire and enquire are generally interchangeable

Finally, two homophones that are (pretty much) interchangeable! To inquire and to enquire both mean to ask or to find out. In noun form, they become inquiry and enquiry respectively. It is completely fine to use both words in any context, however, many people are of the opinion that each suits a particular context better.

Use enquire in a general sense

It is recommended that enquire be used in a general sense of wanting to find something out. For example:

✅ I just wanted to enquire about your opening hours.

✅ It’s fine, she just called with an enquiry about our fees.

Use inquire for official investigations

On the other hand, it’s recommended that inquire be used in more official circumstances, such as formal legal investigations. For example:

✅ The government launched an official inquiry into the thefts.

✅ The royal commission will inquire into the potential fraudulent activities conducted by the country’s major banks.

Inquire and enquire in the dictionary

The Oxford Dictionary claims that inquire is simply another word for enquire, but then notes a preference among many circles for using inquire for official investigations. If you’re Australian, the Macquarie Dictionary suggests that inquiry is more appropriately used for official government investigations — but there really are no hard and fast rules.

Originally published at https://writetoedit.com/inquire-or-enquire/