Word Salad: Sync and Synch?!?!

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Aaroona

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Topic # 146537 21-May-2014 08:30

I don't know if its just me, but I cannot understand why people say Synch! I've just looked in Active Directory and we've got a whole lot of groups that enable syncing for various tasks, but the chap that set them up has gone through in three domains and called them "sync" groups, but in one domain, called them "Synch" groups...

Oh the small frustrations of an admin :( lol

Is synch actually a recognised word for "sync"?

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Reply # 1050237 21-May-2014 08:36

Well, it's short for synchronise. So I guess both are OK? Or maybe, to be completely grammar word-that-gets-you-kicked-off-GZ, it should be sync' or synch'?

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tchart

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Reply # 1050238 21-May-2014 08:40

Sync = short for synchronisation so technically it could go either way.

However I've never come across anyone using synch over sync.

Sync was made "common" by Palm HotSync, MS ActiveSync etc thus I would say "sync" is the correct term.

In other use we have a similar discussion over the term cache (ie do you pronounce it "cash" or "kaysh").

eracode

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Reply # 1050240 21-May-2014 08:44

It's not difficult to sync. In fact it's a cinch.

Behodar

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Reply # 1050299 21-May-2014 10:03

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I tend to say "synch"; presumably that's how I originally learned the word. The office dictionary lists both as correct :)

bazzer

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Reply # 1055978 29-May-2014 14:42

Behodar: I tend to say "synch"; presumably that's how I originally learned the word. The office dictionary lists both as correct :)

How do you say it? Aren't they pronounced the same?

Demeter

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Reply # 1055982 29-May-2014 14:46

I usually use 'Synch' because mentally adding 'hronise' to the end of 'sync' sounds wrong in my head. Also to me, 'sync' seems like and Americanism. But that's just me.

And yes, they are pronounced the same.

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Glassboy

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Reply # 1055991 29-May-2014 14:51

Aaroona: I don't know if its just me, but I cannot understand why people say Synch! I've just looked in Active Directory and we've got a whole lot of groups that enable syncing for various tasks, but the chap that set them up has gone through in three domains and called them "sync" groups, but in one domain, called them "Synch" groups...

Oh the small frustrations of an admin :( lol

Is synch actually a recognised word for "sync"?

OED has both, as well as "sink". As people have said it's a back formation from synchronise. There is nothing on World Wide Words, but I do note that Michael Quinion uses "sync", so that's good enough for me to accept as the correct form.

There's also nothing in Usage and abusage but it may be a little bit too recent.

MikeB4

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Reply # 1055996 29-May-2014 14:56

Both are correct. English is a living adaptive language, it is why it is so successful.

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SaltyNZ

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Reply # 1056017 29-May-2014 15:19

KiwiNZ: Both are correct. English is a living adaptive language, it is why it is so successful.

Well, that and the fact that there are only 22 countries that the Poms never got around to invading. ;-)

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wasabi2k

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Reply # 1056041 29-May-2014 16:02

Neither is actually a real word - so noone wins.

Unless you use sync, which is the only sane way to spell it.

synch would imply a ch noise (as in choo choo) to me.

MikeB4

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Reply # 1056050 29-May-2014 16:15

Both Sync and Synch are in the Oxford Dictionary

Mike
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Athlonite

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Reply # 1056092 29-May-2014 16:56

Most if all people who see SYNC no right away what your on about those same people would go WTF is SYNCH and think you misspelled Cinch causing them to re-read what you have written

so if your talking of

Synchronising use Sync
making something tighter use Cinch
if your washing your dishes us Sink

simple as that folks

Mspec

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Reply # 1056114 29-May-2014 17:39

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I used to get annoyed with Disk and Disc

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SaltyNZ

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Reply # 1056139 29-May-2014 18:30

Presso: I used to get annoyed with Disk and Disc

A regional accent thing where I grew up made some people say floppy diks. Makes me giggle to this day.

Nukular on the other hand, I never got. It's nuclear. New-clear. Nuclear.

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MikeB4

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Reply # 1056148 29-May-2014 18:43

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SaltyNZ:
Presso: I used to get annoyed with Disk and Disc

A regional accent thing where I grew up made some people say floppy diks. Makes me giggle to this day.

Nukular on the other hand, I never got. It's nuclear. New-clear. Nuclear.

Not as annoying as the way Americans pronounce basil or oregano

Mike
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