The E/I Dilemma
Many moons ago, I taught 6th grade language arts in what was then a rural suburb of Atlanta. Now, it’s quite suburban. Many of my students lived on the farms their parents had grown up on, and the Southern accent ran as deep as the roots of their crops. It might be news to some of y’all, but accents raise the challenge barre for teaching spelling and reading to a whole new level.
I give you the example of the time a sweet, sincerely earnest student submitted a writing assignment, and I had to call her up to my desk to clarify what she meant by one sentence: “Win is it?” She explained, “It’s like askin’ a question about the time of sumpin’. You know, like win are we goin’?” True diplomacy began in explaining that she meant to write “when” with the “eh” sound, not “win” with the “ih” sound.
“No, ma’am. I sounded it out. It’s W-I-N, win.” And she wasn’t wrong. That’s exactly how she pronounced it and how it sounded to her. The time had arrived to relearn how the letter I can sometimes sound like E (and vice versa) and how we need to memorize spellings of “sight words”. These are commonly used words used with great frequency that young students are encouraged to recognize and spell without the need to sound them out (like when).
It was a long week that morning.
The Dreaded E for I and I for E Spelling Exchange
These days, I’m seeing a lot of spelling errors switching E and I at the beginnings of words. I find them quite a bit in captions, the transcription of spoken words in videos and news blasts. My theory is that companies and vloggers allow AI to interpret the dialogue, and AI prints what it “hears,” not necessarily paying attention to what the person is actually saying. It takes a human to intervene.
In my capacity as a verified human (I am NOT a robot!), I will explore four sets of tricky words that begin with E/I, words that confuse the best of us, regardless of any accent or AI intervention. Then, I’ll provide hints for remembering how to spell the word that matches the intended meaning.
1. elicit/illicit
elicit: to get or bring out information or a reaction from someone
EXAMPLE: Sarah’s first-place finish elicited a standing ovation from the crowd.
illicit: unlawful, illegal, and/or immoral
EXAMPLE: Sam resorted to illicit means to win the contest; following the rules was not working for him.
HINTS:
elicit: E is the first letter of both “extract” and elicit, which have related meanings.
illicit: The first three letters form the word “ill,” which means to feel bad, which is related to doing bad things.
2. emigrate/immigrate
emigrate: to leave one’s country of residence to live somewhere else
EXAMPLE: My grandparents emigrated from Ireland and settled in New York.
immigrate: to come into a country (that one is not from) to reside
EXAMPLE: My grandparents immigrated to New York from Ireland.
HINTS:
emigrate: Emigrate begins with E as does “exit.” It also helps to remember E is followed in the alphabet by F, as in “from,” the word that almost always follows emigrate.
immigrate: Immigrate has two Ms. The homonym for “two” is “to,” the word that almost (but not always) follows immigrate.
3. enquire/inquire
enquire: British version of inquire
EXAMPLE: Sir Edmond Ellington enquired if Lady Elinore Elsworth had entered the enclave.
inquire: to seek information by asking a question
EXAMPLE: Ed inquired if Ellie was here yet.
HINTS:
enquire, enquiry: Think of the E in “British Empire.” Then, ask yourself, “Am I in England? Are my characters British?” If not, don’t use these words. Carry on.
inquire, inquiry: Ask a question to be IN the know (IN America).
4. ensure/insure
ensure: to make certain or safe; guarantee
EXAMPLE: Put on your seatbelt to ensure your safety while Adam drives.
insure-#1: purchase/obtain insurance
EXAMPLE: Adam’s car is not insured for use on the road.
insure-#2: when used with the word against: to prevent something bad from happening
EXAMPLE: Adam’s car should have been insured against any and all road hazards, especially Adam himself.
HINTS:
ensure: The word “guarantee” has two Es, as does ensure.
insure #s 1 & 2: If the use has to do with insurance, use insure.
Mind the E and/or I
Ensure your word choices elicit your intended understanding by checking the above information or a good ol’ dictionary. Check your AI transcriptions as AI is not infallible. Ask your favorite language arts teacher for help. And remember: there are no dumb inquiries.