'Indorsement' or 'Endorsement': What's the Difference?

Should you spell it ‘indorsement’ or ‘endorsement’? And what’s the difference between these two words? We’ll answer that below, plus teach you how to use the correct spelling in a sentence.

Don’t feel like skimming? Here’s the short answer:

• ‘Indorsement’ is a legal signature on financial documents, such as checks.
• ‘Endorsement’ is a public indication of approval or support.

‘Indorsement’ vs. ‘Endorsement’ – What’s the Difference?

As we just went over, ‘indorsement’ is a legal signature on financial documents like checks, while an ‘endorsement’ is a public indication of approval or support.

These words sound the same but mean two different things, making them homophones.

Indorsement vs. Endorsement – Which is Correct?

Now that we know the meaning of both words, which one is considered correct?

Technically, they’re both correct. Since they mean different things, though, you cannot use them interchangeably.

Definition and Meaning of ‘Indorsement’ and ‘Endorsement’

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of ‘endorsement’ is the act or process of endorsing or approval.

It’s also used to refer to a provision added to insurance contracts that alters the application in some way.

It could also mean money earned from a product recommendation.

According to The Free Legal Dictionary, an ‘indorsement’ is the act of the owner signing his or her name on the back of a check, bill of exchange, or another financial document to make it payable to someone else or cashable by another person.

A Brief History

The first known use of the word was in 1547, and it meant the same thing it does today.

Pronunciation

Wondering how to pronounce these words? Here’s a short guide.

• To pronounce ‘indorsement’ here’s the phonetic spelling: in-DAWS-muhnt
• To pronounce ‘endorsement’ here’s the phonetic spelling: en-DAWS-muhnt

How to Use ‘Indorsement’ and ‘Endorsement’ in a Sentence

Now that we know how to pronounce them and what they mean, let’s see these words in a sentence, starting with ‘indorsement.’

• I signed the indorsement so that I could transfer the payments to my son.
• Can you provide your indorsement on these documents so we can get the process started?
• We still need an indorsement from Mr. Callaway, but he’s out of town on business.
• These documents aren’t up to date. We’ll need another indorsement from you.

Now let’s see some examples of ‘endorsement.’

• The partners gave their endorsement, so I could become a senior partner.
• I’m so glad that the project has your endorsement. We worked really hard on it.
• The Senator finally got the endorsement he needed from several politicians.
• I wonder if I’m going to get an endorsement from the Mayor.

Final Thoughts on ‘Indorsement’ and ‘Endorsement’

To recap, we learned that ‘indorsement’ means a legal signature on a financial document and that an ‘endorsement’ is more like approval or support. Remember never to use these words interchangeably because they’re homophones, which means they sound the same but have different meanings.

If you ever forget the meaning or usage, you can always come back to refresh your memory. Not to mention, we have a ton of other content dedicated to explaining confusing words and phrases you might encounter in the English language. Go check it out anytime.