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Merriam-Webster defines "systemize" as an alternate spelling of "systematize." Is there any reason to choose one over the the other (besides "systematize" sounding a little weird to my ears)?

I did notice that the spell checker in my browser is marking "systemize" as incorrect, though Word says it's fine (U.S. English).

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I think "systemize" is uncommon enough to lead you to prefer "systematize" — and "just sounds weird" is often a good enough reason all by itself.

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In truth, both versions sound a little weird to me. Perhaps that's reason enough to go with some form of "X makes Y systematic" instead. – Greg Haskins Mar 28 '11 at 14:27
It'll be a matter of personal taste. To me, "systemize" sounds weird :-) – user1579 Mar 28 '11 at 15:16
I think both have an air of "management-speak" buzzwords anyway. I'd rather see organise, categorise, classify, etc. in most contexts. – FumbleFingers Mar 28 '11 at 17:05
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The NOAD reports systemize is "another term for systematize." That is all the description given by the NOAD; I guess that means systemize is not so often used.

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systematize gets about 4 times as many hits on Google – snumpy Mar 28 '11 at 14:37

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