inquiry

/ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/

//ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“inquiry” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,681 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,681
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

inquiry vs injury
71% similar
inquiry vs inquire
86% similar
inquiry vs inquired
75% similar

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

Key facts for inquiry
PropertyValue
Headwordinquiry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,681
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “inquiry” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). inquiry lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for inquiry is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,681 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for inquiry, with forms such as "innquiry", "inqiury", and "inqquiry". 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, "injury", "inquire", "inquired", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō, 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 acqui… The correct English form is inquiry, spelled I-N-Q-U-I-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
  2. 2
    A search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; inquest.

Etymology

From Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō, 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”). Later respelled to conform to the original Latin spelling, as opposed to the Old French spelling.

This word in other languages

inquisición(Español)enquête(Français)Anfrage(Deutsch)pergunta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: innquiry,inqiury,inqquiry,inquirry,inquiryy,inquiyr,inquriy,inuqiry,iqnuiry,niquiry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inquiry - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

innquiry1inqiury2inqquiry1inquirry1inquiryy1inquiyr2inquriy2inuqiry2
Edit distance from "inquiry"

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 "inquiry"?
"inquiry" is spelled I-N-Q-U-I-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/.
What does "inquiry" mean?
As a noun, "inquiry" means: The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
What words are commonly confused with "inquiry"?
"inquiry" is commonly confused with "injury", "inquire", "inquired". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inquiry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inquiry" is /ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/. 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 "inquiry"?
From Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō, 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- ... 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.

Using “inquiry”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-Q-U-I-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “injury” - see the side-by-side comparison. inquiry vs injury
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list