As nouns the difference between inquiry and questionnaire
is that inquiry is the act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning while questionnaire is a form containing a list of questions; a means of gathering information for a survey.
As a verb questionnaire is
to survey using questionnaires.
inquiry
Alternative forms
* enquiry
Noun
(inquiries)
The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.
Usage notes
According to Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (1926), ''inquiry'' should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and ''enquiry'' to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the Oxford English Dictionary, in its entry not updated since 1900, lists ''inquiry'' and ''enquiry'' as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as ''Chambers 21st Century Dictionary'' [http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?title=21st&query=inquiry], present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer ''inquiry'' for the "formal inquest" sense. In Australian English, ''inquiry'' represents a formal inquest (such as a government investigation) while ''enquiry'' is used in the act of questioning (eg: the customer enquired about the status of his loan application). Both spellings are current in Canadian English, where ''enquiry'' is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research. (See Pam Peters, ''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage , p. 282.)
American English usually uses inquiry .
References
*
questionnaire
Noun
(
en noun)
A form containing a list of questions; a means of gathering information for a survey
Verb
(questionnair)
to survey using questionnaires
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