Invites or invitations?

[maltloafeater]

This is driving me mad. Is it party invites or party invitations?

I always thought it was the latter, but invites seems to be in common use even with professional printers.

Answers please.

[Iota]

invitation is correct

[maltloafeater]

Thank you. So why do I keep hearing about 'invites'. Is it a local (northern) term, or is it used across the country?

Please any mums netters organising a party send out invitations not invites.

[ProfessorGrammaticus]

Ooohh not invites! (And am a northerner myself)

[Posey]

Invitations, every time!
(I'm a northerner, married to a southerner, living in London.)

[PaninoPan]

invites is a verb. Invitations a noun. Invitations every time.

[asicsgirl]

Seems similar to 'quote' and 'quotation' as in 'that's a good quote'. Linguistic change in progress!

[Spidermama]

As well as being a verb, 'invites' has entered common parlance as a noun and a shortened version (American?) of 'invitations'.

[DoubleBluff]

I think of an invite as being verbal.
An invitation as a physical thing.

[PaninoPan]

well, spidermama it can accept my invitation and clear off out again!