“indict” vs. “indite”

Use "indict" for formally charging someone with a crime; "indite" is an archaic word for composing writing, essentially obsolete in modern usage.

The real distinction

This is a genuinely fascinating case of two words that were historically identical splitting apart in meaning while keeping nearly identical spelling and pronunciation. "Indict" today belongs entirely to criminal law, describing a formal accusation, almost always by a grand jury or prosecutor. "Indite" survives only in deliberately archaic, literary, or historical writing, meaning to compose or write something formally — a sense so old-fashioned that most native speakers today have never encountered it outside crossword puzzles or period fiction. If your sentence involves criminal charges, you virtually always need "indict"; "indite" is so rare that using it in modern prose (outside historical fiction or deliberate stylistic archaism) will likely confuse readers rather than clarify meaning. Modern news coverage of criminal cases uses "indict" constantly, describing grand jury decisions and formal charges against public figures and private citizens alike. "Indite," meanwhile, appears almost exclusively in historical novels, translated medieval texts, or deliberately old-fashioned prose, making it one of the rarest words a modern writer will ever need — if you're unsure which to use, "indict" is almost certainly correct.

Examples with “indict”

• The grand jury voted to indict three former officials.
• Federal prosecutors indicted the company for fraud.
• He was indicted on multiple counts of tax evasion.
• The district attorney announced plans to indict the suspect.
• A jury indicted the group after a lengthy investigation.
• She was indicted for embezzling company funds.
• The court indicted him despite his claims of innocence.
• Federal agents built the case that led to his indictment.
• Prosecutors moved quickly to indict the corporate officers.
• The senator was indicted on bribery charges last week.
• A federal grand jury indicted five suspects in the scheme.
• The board voted to indict the former treasurer.
• A federal jury indicted the ring leader on racketeering charges.
• The task force worked for months before deciding to indict.
• Two executives were indicted alongside the company itself.
• The panel recommended the agency indict the contractor.

Examples with “indite”

• The medieval scribe indited a formal letter to the bishop.
• He indited a lengthy petition on behalf of the villagers.
• The poet indited verses praising the queen's coronation.
• The clerk was tasked to indite the official proclamation.
• She indited a careful reply to the ambassador's request.
• The monk indited manuscripts by candlelight each evening.
• He indited his memoirs in careful, old-fashioned prose.
• The chronicler indited a detailed account of the battle.
• The bard indited verses celebrating the harvest festival.
• The court scribe indited the official record by hand.
• She indited a formal apology in the style of the era.
• The court poet indited an ode for the new monarch.
• He indited a lengthy defense of his controversial theory.
• The herald indited the king's decree in careful script.
• She indited a formal complaint in the era's stilted style.

Memory trick

"Indict" belongs to courtrooms — think of the silent "c" as a hidden charge waiting to be revealed once the case goes to trial. "Indite," meaning to write, ends in the same "-ite" as "write" almost rhymes, a reminder of its now-obsolete literary sense of composing formal text.