RE: Customize or customise in UK-targetted texts

["Peter Hirons" <peter -at- galley -dot- ie>]

I think that Oxford switched to preferring -ize to -ise sometime around
1990.  I still prefer -ise, but usually use -ize in my technical writing.

Peter

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+peter=galley -dot- ie -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+peter=galley -dot- ie -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of
Geoff Lane
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 11:23 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Customize or customise in UK-targetted texts

On Tuesday, February 3, 2009, Sarah Blake wrote;

> In general, '-ise' is the UK spelling, whereas '-ize' is the US (or
> 'international') spelling.  Most British people will find neither 
> jarring.
---

Strangely, I thought it was the other way around! Certainly, my UK spell
checkers flag most "-ise" instances as incorrect and offer "-ize" as
correct. Also, for "customize" my installed copy of the Pocket Oxford
Dictionary gives:
  "customize  v. (also -ise) (-zing or -sing) make or modify
   to order; personalize."
To me, this implies that "-ize" is the preferred spelling.

I'm still using the 1994 version of POD but the Oxford Reference Online
(subscription via ISTC membership) returns "customize ( or customise)"
when searching for either spelling.

That said, Sarah is correct that most British people find neither
jarring, to which I'll add that IMO either is correct.

HTH,

--
Geoff

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