Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

enquiry

/ɪnˈkwaɪə.ɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.41 in modern English

Syllables
en-quiry
IPA
/ɪnˈkwaɪə.ɹi/
19
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

British form of inquiry.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

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”). The alternative form inquiry was subsequently respelled to conform to the original Latin spelling, as opposed to the Old French spelling.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: enquery, -, inquīrō, *kʷaizeō, *kʷeh₂-

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ɪnˈkwaɪə.ɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

enquiries (plural) inquiry (alternative)

Phrases

domestic enquiry

Synonyms

inquiry research question query interrogation

Rhymes With

inquiry fiery priory expiry wiry eyrie friary firey miry spiry perspiry

Questions

How do you pronounce enquiry?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɪnˈkwaɪə.ɹi/.
What does enquiry mean?
British form of inquiry.
Where does enquiry come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce enquiry

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “enquiry”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪnˈkwaɪə.ɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “enquiry”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “enquiry” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.