Inquiry vs. Enquiry

Ladies and gentlemen, this time we're gonna delve into the differences and similarities between 'inquiry' and 'enquiry'. Well, what are you waiting for, then?

What Is Their Main Difference?

Both are used to indicate asking questions in an investigation in order to gain information. However, Americans mainly use 'inquiry' and 'inquire', whereas, British speakers use 'inquiry' for formal investigations and 'enquire' for the less formal ones.

Differences

These two do not have any differences. Americans tend to use 'inquiry', whereas, British speakers tend to use 'inquiry' about formal examinations, and 'enquiry' about the less formal ones. Check out the examples below:

The inspector decided to conduct another inquiry into this issue.

Basically, an 'enquiry' is done to gain useful information about something/someone.

Similarities

As stated above, these two are completely the same. They both indicate doing research and asking questions in order to gain useful information about someone/something. Look at the examples below:

How come that he has denied everything during the inquiry?

They said they were about to make enquiries about how prisoners are treated.

Are They Interchangeable?

Most native speakers use these two words interchangeably. Compare:

✓ The manager decided to conduct an inquiry into the case.

✓ The manager decided to conduct an enquiry into the case.

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