Is it okay to say "initiated" instead of "started"?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
No, not in this situation. Even though the word "start" is synonymous with "initiate," it actually means "begin." We can't switch "started" with "initiated" because of the phrase "to wonder." The sentence sounds odd if you say "We initiated to wonder..." In English, we don't put "initiate" and "wonder" together. You can use "began" or "start" here, but not "initiate." Here are examples of "started" being used similarly as "began." Ex: She started to think about universities she wanted to go to. Ex: Maybe we should start planning for the wedding.