Nevertheless, in the most recent years for which Ngram offers graph data (2006–2008), synced appears to have moved ahead of synched in overall frequency, too. On this record it appears that people are far more likely to choose sync over synch than to choose synced over synched. The rather startling thing here is the difference between the results for sync/synch (where sync has a huge advantage in frequency of usage over synch) and synced/synched (where between 19 synched was the more common form). English sources:Īnd here is the corresponding Ngram chart for synced (blue line) versus synched for the same period with the same conditions: Here is the chart I got for sync (blue line) versus synch (red line) for the period 1900–2008, with no year-to-year smoothing and no distinction between British English and U.S. These are interesting charts, but they don't reflect a rather significant difference in frequency of use between sync and synch. In his answer, Hugo provides Ngram charts of relative frequency of use of synced and synched in American English and in British English for the period 1960–2000. Ngram charts of 'sync' versus 'synch' and 'synced' versus 'synched' The Ninth (1983), Tenth (1993), and Eleventh (2003) Collegiates have retained the skeleton of the entries from the Eighth Collegiate, but they have added a couple of examples of sync as a noun, and they report that sync as a noun dates to 1929 and sync as a verb to 1945.Īs this chronology demonstrates, for the past 57 years, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has always expressed a preference for sync over synch as the primary spelling of this truncated word-and for the period 1963–1972, it didn't include synch as even a variant spelling. The spelling synch makes a comeback in the Eighth Collegiate (1973):ġsync also synch n : SYNCHRONIZATION, SYNCHRONISM - sync adjĢsync also synch vt synced also synched syncing also synching : SYNCHRONIZE The Seventh Collegiate (1963) dispenses with the -ch spelling altogether:ġsync n : SYNCHRONIZATION, SYNCHRONISM - sync adj The entry also tells us that the original preference for sync probably arose in the film and television industry, a field where the fact that the ch in synchronize can be traced to the chi (χ) in chronos (χρονος) was probably not of widespread interest or concern. This brief entry tells us that from 1949, when sync/synch first became common enough to merit (in the eyes of Merriam-Webster's lexicographers) an entry in the Collegiate Dictionary series, the publisher viewed sync as the more common spelling of the word. The first time sync/synch shows up in the Collegiate Dictionary series in in the Sixth Edition (1949). Common syncing programs include iTunes, The Missing Sync, Palm Desktop, and iSync.In the United States, many publications (including PC World, which nohat specifically mentions in his answer) use Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as their default guide to spelling words, and the historical preference of Merriam-Webster for sync over synch goes back very far-certainly to an era before personal computers. However, you may need to use a different syncing program for each device, since most use a proprietary software utility to sync with the computer. For example, you might be able to sync an iPod, Blackberry, and PDA using the same address book on your computer. Since many devices can be synced with a single computer, the computer is often referred to as the "hub" for syncing portable electronics. Most syncing programs also remove entries that have been deleted on either the device or the computer since the last sync. Similarly, any numbers entered into the computer's address book since the last sync will be added to the phone. For example, if you have added a phone number to your phone since the last time you synced it with your computer, that number will be added to your computer's address book. This is also referred to as "merging" the data. When you sync a device with your computer, it typically updates both device and the computer with the most recent information. If you have an iPod, you may connect it to your computer to sync songs, videos, and other data using Apple iTunes. For example, you might sync the address book stored on your computer with your cell phone to update the contacts. This is typically done by connecting the device to your computer via a USB or wireless Bluetooth connection. When you sync a device, such as a cell phone, PDA, or iPod, you synchronize it with data on your computer.
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