inquire

/ɪnˈkwaɪə/

//ɪnˈkwaɪə// verb

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

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

The verdict

“inquire” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,646. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,646
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To ask (about something).

Corpus desk

Index EN-inquire · inquire · English

inquire · rank #17,646 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,646
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inscribed

Nearest frequency peer: inscribed (+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 “inquire”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inquire” 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).

inquire vs insure
71% similar
inquire vs inquiry
86% similar
inquire vs inspire
71% similar

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

Key facts for inquire
PropertyValue
Headwordinquire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈkwaɪə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#17,646
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inquire”

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).inquirelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “inscribed” (#17,647), “insulated” (#17,648), “inhibitor” (#17,643). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inquire” is #17,646. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around inquire (IPA /ɪnˈkwaɪə/), averb. Corpus frequency is #17,646 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for inquire, with forms such as "innquire", "inqiure", and "inqquire". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "insure", "inquiry", "inspire", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin inquīrō (“to seek for”), composed of in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“I seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Displaced Middle English enqueren (from Ol… The correct English form is inquire, spelled I-N-Q-U-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To ask (about something).
  2. 2
    To make an inquiry or an investigation.
  3. 3
    To call; to name.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. May I inquire to whom I have the honor of speaking?
  2. "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day.[…]A strong man—a strong one; and a heedless." ¶ "Of what party is he?" she inquired, as though casually.

Etymology

From Latin inquīrō (“to seek for”), composed of in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“I seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Displaced Middle English enqueren (from Old French enquerre, of the same source) and native Middle English speir (“ask, inquire”).

Synonyms

frain

This word in other languages

investigar(Español)enquêter(Français)nachfragen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innquire
  • inqiure
  • inqquire
  • inquier
  • inquirre
  • inqurie
  • inuqire
  • iqnuire
  • niquire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inquire - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

innquire1inqiure2inqquire1inquier2inquirre1inqurie2inuqire2iqnuire2
Edit distance from "inquire"

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 "inquire"?
"inquire" is spelled I-N-Q-U-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈkwaɪə/.
What does "inquire" mean?
As a verb, "inquire" means: To ask (about something).
What words are commonly confused with "inquire"?
"inquire" is commonly confused with "insure", "inquiry", "inspire". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inquire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inquire" is /ɪnˈkwaɪə/. 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 "inquire"?
From Latin inquīrō (“to seek for”), composed of in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“I seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Displaced Middle English enquere... 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 "inquire", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

jogging#17,650infancy#17,641imprint#17,638Mikhail#17,675

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Hodges9 variantsMadras9 variantshearty9 variantsMarianne9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list