inquireenquire

Inquireenquire is a coined term used in linguistic and editorial discussions to refer to the phenomenon of spelling variation between the American English verb "inquire" and the British English verb "enquire." The word functions as a shorthand or label for analyzing how writers choose one spelling over the other, often influenced by audience, publication standards, or historical tradition. It is not an established entry in standard dictionaries and has no formal etymology beyond being a portmanteau of the two spellings and their related noun forms "inquirer" and "enquirer."

As a descriptive label rather than a vocabulary item, inquireenquire appears chiefly in informal writings, style guides, or academic commentary that surveys cross-dialect usage. Proponents use the term to discuss patterns of consistency or alternation across texts, or to illustrate editorial decisions about which variant to endorse in a given publication. Because it is not widely recognized, its usage is limited and typically explained within the surrounding analysis whenever it appears.

Critically, the term highlights broader issues in English orthography: how regional preferences shape verb forms, and how dictionaries and style guides encode or tolerate such differences. It offers a convenient way to reference the intersection of American and British spellings without repeatedly listing both forms.

See also: American English, British English, spelling variation, inquire, enquire, inquirer, enquirer, inquiry, enquiry.