en English es español fr française it italiano de deutsche ja 日本語 pl polski cs česky sv svenska tr Türkçe nl Nederlands

Why "an envelop" doesn’t work: a grammar breakdown

Reviewed and edited by Anwar Kareem 25/02/2025, 19:29
English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

An envelop or an envelope. What's correct?

Spelling and grammatical error

Why do people make this mistake?

People often confuse "envelop" (a verb meaning to wrap or surround something) with "envelope" (a noun referring to a flat paper container for letters). This mistake can come from the similar pronunciation and the fact that the words are spelled nearly the same.

What is correct?

The correct form is "envelope" for the noun (a container for letters) and "envelop" for the verb (which means to surround or enclose).

Examples of correct usage

  • a letter in an envelope
  • Please envelop the package.
  • I need an envelope for the card.
  • The fog began to envelop the city.

Recommended posts in Grammar

The hidden cost of saying "scotch free"

The hidden cost of saying "scotch free"

People often make this error because "scotch" sounds similar to ... Learn more →

Why we say "two million" — not "two millions"

Why we say "two million" — not "two millions"

People often add "s" to "million" because, in general English ... Learn more →

Surely not: what's wrong with "shure"

Surely not: what's wrong with "shure"

The word "sure" is pronounced with an initial "sh" sound ... Learn more →

What's wrong with "sunscream"

What's wrong with "sunscream"

The error occurs because the word "sunscreen" phonetically resembles "sunscream", ... Learn more →