# An inquiry...uh, enquiry

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inquiry-uh-enquiry/59077>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 23, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inquiry-uh-enquiry/59077 "2001-03-23T00:56:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Pies\_R\_Squared](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Pies\_R\_Squared](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pies_R_Squared)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inquiry-uh-enquiry/59077/1 "2001-03-23T00:56:00Z")

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‘Affect’ and ‘effect’ are not synonyms; neither are ‘insure’ and ‘ensure’. However, according to my dictionary, _inquiry_ and _enquiry_ are; there is no difference between them. So I’m left to question if these two words have always meant the same thing. Was there a time when an inquiry was different from an enquiry? If so, have they come to mean the same because of improper usage and/or poor spelling habits over the years. Currently, do these words fall into the ‘color/colour’ category, that is, with the spelling depending on the user’s nationality? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inquiry-uh-enquiry/59077/2 "2001-03-23T02:25:41Z")

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According to the OED, “enquire” comes from French and “inquire” comes more directly from Latin. They seemed to separate their spellings sometime in the 14th or 15th centuries. From what I can also discern, the English like “inquire” while the Scots preferred “enquire.”

“Enquire” is described as “half-Latinized.”

“Endorse” and “indorse” are a similar pair.

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**Author:** ![Pies\_R\_Squared](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Pies\_R\_Squared](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pies_R_Squared)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inquiry-uh-enquiry/59077/3 "2001-03-23T04:06:31Z")

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Thanks **BobT** (especially for the “half-Latinized” description).🙂