Are you an -ise or an -ize person?

Do you like -ise or -ize suffixes?

🔆 I am an <ise> person.

🔆 Please don't ask me why.

🔆 Okay, if you insist.

🔆 We used -ise suffixes when I was Publications Officer at St John's College.

🔆 I told myself it was a 'Cambridge' thing (because it wasn't an OUP thing).

🔆 But that is not true (Judith Butcher favours -ize endings).

🔆 So it is a 'me' thing.

🔆 Also, -ize is not an Americanism (see infographic for a bit of history).

🔆 So, again, my preference for -ise is a 'me' thing.

🔆 It does mean you don't have to decide whether a word 𝕞𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 an -ise ending (e.g. comprise, revise – see infographic for a list of these words).

🔆 As opposed to those where there is an option (e.g. organise/ize; summarise/ize; realise/ize). So, for someone who's not confident about this, choosing -ise will probably make their life easier.

🔆 But that's probably not a very good excuse for choosing one over the other.

🔆 If a client doesn't have a style guide, I will go with their majority usage.

🔆 Or ask them if they have a preference (and explain what mine is).

🔆 Do YOU have a preference?

🔆 Anyway, enjoy the infographic.

🔆 And then you can decide for yourself. 😊

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