Why do we spell enjoy with an e rather than an i?

Answer 1

Bart... You can spell it anyway you want.

Answer 2

In the Middle French and Middle English words that enjoy is descended from the "en" prefix is an intensifier. The "in" prefix usually means in or not. For example incomplete or inedible. Injoy if there were such a word would probably mean "not joy." This is a good question. A lot of people think there is no point in asking why when you are talking about languages but why leads to a lot of interesting information that isn't obvious.
The reason you don't recognize the sound of the initial e in enjoy is because it is not accented. In English unaccented vowels do not receive their full value when pronounced. They are reduced, usually to schwa. That's that upside down e that you see in dictionaries. It indicates a sound that isn't quite any of the real vowels.

Answer 3

Besides what has already been said about the schwa sound, it is also possible that some English speakers do pronounce the word with a short "e" sound. Almost everyone is familiar with the Southern Drawl, but there are many differences in English from one region to another.

Also pronunciation changes over time, while spelling is slower to change, especially since the printing press has been invented.

Other languages have reformed the spelling of their language to be consistent with the pronunciation, but I believe this would be impossible to do in American English. I think this is true because so many of our words have been borrowed from many different languages, and this will continue to happen.

Answer 4

Because the word should be pronounced 'enjoy', you accent is the reason you want to spell it 'injoy'. But, hey spell it how you like. You do with other words like colour, centre, neighbour etc....
And remember I'm right and your wrong because English is my language and I'm guessing your an American?

Answer 5

It is derived from Old French, enjoir, which means to have a pleasurable or satisfactory time. It is spelled with an "e" because the french word starts with an "e".

Answer 6

If you really listen close to most people saying it, it really is not a "short-I" sound at all; its more of whats known as "schwa" sound (basically a "tie" b/w syllables of a multisyllable word, but can also be used as beginning of words and often is in English). Maybe because I learned English in Canada from European parents and because Canucks have a "thing" for language in general, we/I learn these things. Cool factoid eh?

Answer 7

Because that's technically how it should sound. EN-joy, not IN-joy. Although it's kind of like how people say words differntly, especially when there's a syllable that isn't often noticed. I'm trying to think of an example but can't right now, I'll think of it and come back.

Answer 8

There are thousands of words in English that are spelled differently than what they are pronounced, it's a bit of a pain, but we just got to live with it.

Answer 9

Because you should "enjoy" eating my shorts, man.

Also,...

enjoy
c.1380, from Old French ENJOIR, "to give joy, rejoice," from "en-" ("make") + "joir" ("enjoy," from L. gaudere "rejoice"). Sense of "have the use or benefit of" first recorded c.1430. Replaced Old English brucan.

Answer 10

Because it's pronounced ENjoy, not INjoy!!!

But what can we expect from a little yellow American cartoon character who's addicted to fast food?!!
; )

Answer 11

because the way its said isnt injoy, its enjoy, thats like asking why do we spell dog, with a d.....