Writing & Grammar: Synch or Swim?

by Jennie Ruby 

 

How do you spell the shortened form of the word synchronize? Is it synch or sync? I have seen it both ways recently, so I checked out the Webster's dictionary. I found that sync is the more frequently used variant, but that both spellings are listed. So which one is better?

It turns out that when Webster's lists two spellings of a word, they may have the word "or" or the word "also" between them. The word "or" tells us that the two variants are used equally and often, whereas the word "also" tells us that the second one is significantly less often used.

Meanwhile, the next listing in the dictionary was lip-synch, spelled with the h. Go figure.

How about dialogue versus dialog? The dictionary lists dialogue first, in such uses as for a dialogue in a play, or dialogue between two people. However, dialog box uses the variant without the -ue on the end. So in the software training industry we see the secondary variant far more often.

This week's challenge is not so much a test to see if you can get the answers right, but more a survey to see which is your preference. Survey results (and correct answers to the last two Confusing Words challenges) will be coming soon.

1. During the role-play we set up a dialog/dialogue between two class participants.
2. We catalog/catalogue the results from all of our quizzes for later data analysis.
3. I need to synch/sync my phone with my Outlook calendar.
4. The two devices were already in synch/sync.
5. The professor served as an adviser/advisor for the online class.
6. The high-tech/hi-tec solution did not work.
7. The wifi/wi-fi in our office was down all afternoon.

When ready, post your answers below as comments.

***

If you love Jennie's articles, you'll love her classes. Check out some of Jennie's mini courses.