envelop, envelope

The verb envelop, spelled without a final e (and pronounced ĕn-VĔL-əp), means “to cover, surround or enclose something completely.” Note that the final p is not doubled before a suffix beginning with a vowel.

  • A warm blanket enveloped the child.
  • The enveloping fog hid all landmarks from view.

The noun envelope, spelled with a final e (and pronounced ĔN-vəl-ōp), refers to the paper wrapper one uses to enclose a letter.

  • She wrote the address on the envelope and then mailed the letter.

Additional information

Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Search by related themes

Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.