inquiry
in·qui·ry/ɪnˈkwaɪ(ə)ɹi/noun
inquiry is spelled I-N-Q-U-I-R-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables (in·qui·ry). It appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,667th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, inquiry means “The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of inquiry is inquiries.
How many letters and syllables are in inquiry?
| Letters | 7: I-N-Q-U-I-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: in·qui·ry |
| In writing | 18 times per million words; the 4,667th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is inquiry?
Inquiry appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,667th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce inquiry?
- UK /ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/
- UK /ɪŋ-/
- US /ɪnˈkwaɪ(ə)ɹi/
Inquiry has 3 syllables, split in·qui·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-inquiry.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with inquiry
Also written: enquiry.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of inquiry
- inquiries plural
- enquiry UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inquiry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
- 2
A search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; inquest.
Scientific inquiry
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inquiry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | enquête |
| German | Anfrage, Erkundigung, Abfrage , Untersuchung, Erforschung, Erkundung |
| Portuguese | pergunta, questionamento, inquérito |
| Spanish | indagatoria, pesquisa, indagación, inquietud, consulta |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does inquiry come from?
From Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō, composed of in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“to seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Later respelled to conform to the original Latin spelling, as opposed to the Old French spelling.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).