Inquiry or Enquiry

Question

Last night I had the ITV News Channel on, and the ticker across the bottom was talking about the Hutton Inquiry.
This got my wife and I thinking about the use of this spelling of the word, versus "enquiry" - which is how we spell it.
Which is correct? I was taught "enquiry" at school, but there seems to have been a shift in favour of "inquiry" of late. In fact, I can't find much use of the "e" version in the press right now, but I am sure the "i" version is new!
I am assuming, of course, that they mean the same thing!?

Thanks,
David.
ps. You know how some words just look "right" when you see them on a printed page? Inquiry doesn't look right, to me.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Which is correct? I was taught "enquiry" at school, but there seems to have been a shift in favour of ... much use of the "e" version in the press right now, but I am sure the "i" version is new![/nq]
IIRC Inquiry is American, Enquiry is British. Same meaning.

On the Cambridge Dicionary you can find "inquiry, UK ALSO enquiry" and if you look up enquiry that's the definition:
enquiry
noun (C or U) UK
inquiry
Google:
inquiry 6,310,000
enquiry 3,210,000
site:.uk
inquiry 1,150,000
enquiry 1,600,000
Sebastiano

No wonder people say "gesundheit" when you say "Tchaikovsky".

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Last night I had the ITV News Channel on, and the ticker across the bottom was talking about the Hutton ... assuming, of course, that they mean the same thing!? Thanks, David.This following is from the New Oxford Dictionary of English:[/nq]

Usage guides have traditionally drawn a distinction between enquire and inquire, implying that, in British English at least, enquire is used for general senses of 'ask', while inquire is reserved for uses meaning 'make a formal investigation'. In practice, however, enquire (and enquiry) is more common in British English while inquire (and inquiry) is more common in US English, but otherwise there is no readily discernible distinction in the way the two words are used.

If you google for "inquiry UK" you will see that the first set of results includes links relating to various formal investigations - Hutton Inquiry, ****** Sunday Inquiry, The Shipman Inquiry, Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry, Motor Vehicle Production Inquiry, Hunting Inquiry, BSE Inquiry.

On the other hand googling for "enquiry UK" gives links to various enquiry services. That is, they are services which answer enquiries. (Telephone) Directory Enquiries, for example.
This is not a fixed pattern. There is at least one formal investigation called an Enquiry.
[nq:1]ps. You know how some words just look "right" when you see them on a printed page? Inquiry doesn't look right, to me.[/nq]
I know what you mean, but in this case it is possibly the result of your unfamiliarity with "inquiry".

Peter Duncanson
UK
(posting from a.e.u)

Usenet · Answer

I think the "i" form is more common in the US, but AHD4 makes no distinction. The "e" form somehow sounds British to me, but that's a very vague feeling.
Carter
Carter Jefferson
http://carterj.homestead.com/

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