inquest

/ˈɪŋkwɛst/

//ˈɪŋkwɛst// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"inquest" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inquest” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,121. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,121
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A formal investigation, often held before a jury, especially one into the cause of a death

Corpus desk

Index EN-inquest · inquest · English

inquest · rank #22,121 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,121
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH indecent

Nearest frequency peer: indecent (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “inquest”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “inquest” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

inquest vs invest
71% similar
inquest vs incest
71% similar
inquest vs ingest
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for inquest
PropertyValue
Headwordinquest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪŋkwɛst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,121
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inquest”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).inquestlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “indecent” (#22,120), “interacts” (#22,122), “indebted” (#22,119). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inquest” is #22,121. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around inquest (IPA /ˈɪŋkwɛst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,121 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for inquest, with forms such as "innquest", "inqeust", and "inqquest". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "invest", "incest", "ingest", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enquest, from Old French enqueste (Modern French enquête), from Vulgar Latin inquirere, or from Medieval Latin inquesta < in + Latin quaesita. The correct English form is inquest, spelled I-N-Q-U-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A formal investigation, often held before a jury, especially one into the cause of a death
  2. 2
    An inquiry, typically into an undesired outcome
  3. 3
    The jury hearing such an inquiry, and the result of the inquiry
  4. 4
    enquiry; quest; search
  5. 5
    Prosecutorial proceeding on whether or not a warrantless arrestee is charged with an offense.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how inquest appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The inquest on keeper Davidson was duly held, and at the commencement seemed likely to cause Tony Palliser less anxiety than he had expected.
  2. However, the 'accidental death' verdict of the jury in the inquest into the Croydon tram accident of November 2016 is the latest episode in a saga that seems likely to prevent the full story of this eminently preventable disaster from ever being exposed.

Etymology

From Middle English enquest, from Old French enqueste (Modern French enquête), from Vulgar Latin inquirere, or from Medieval Latin inquesta < in + Latin quaesita.

Synonyms

inquisition

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innquest
  • inqeust
  • inqquest
  • inquesst
  • inquestt
  • inquets
  • inquset
  • inuqest
  • iqnuest
  • niquest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inquest - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

innquest1inqeust2inqquest1inquesst1inquestt1inquets2inquset2inuqest2
Edit distance from "inquest"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "inquest"?
"inquest" is spelled I-N-Q-U-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪŋkwɛst/.
What does "inquest" mean?
As a noun, "inquest" means: A formal investigation, often held before a jury, especially one into the cause of a death
What words are commonly confused with "inquest"?
"inquest" is commonly confused with "invest", "incest", "ingest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inquest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inquest" is /ˈɪŋkwɛst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "inquest"?
From Middle English enquest, from Old French enqueste (Modern French enquête), from Vulgar Latin inquirere, or from Medieval Latin inquesta < in + Latin quaesita. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "inquest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

jerking#22,127lagging#22,134Leopold#22,138guesses#22,101

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Macleod10 variantsfifties10 variantsoutback10 variantspropane10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list