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I've read that both are acceptable but "associated with" is superior. Is there ever a time that "to" is acceptable? Does it matter at all? I'm writing copy for a public website and want to make sure I get this right.

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I'd stick with "with" here. Google NGrams says it has 50M written instances of "is associated with", but less than 0.5M "is associated to" (which latter form sounds slightly "odd" to me). – FumbleFingers Aug 15 '12 at 17:46
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ehtimse, please edit your question and quote verbatim the source that refers to associated with as ‘superior’. Thanks! BTW, answers to Difference between “affiliated” and “associated” point out that for affiliated, British English more often uses affiliated to and AE affiliated with – jwpat7 Aug 15 '12 at 17:57
Why the down vote? I searched for my question before posting but didn't find any duplicates. I tried to phrase it clearly. I don't understand the psychology of SE loyalists. – ehtimse1970 Aug 16 '12 at 12:00
@ehtimse1970: Not my -1, but I'm willing to try explaining the "loyalist psychology." Your question says "I've read that both are acceptable…" yet what reputable source says that? Discussion boards, unlike grammar sites, are hardly reputable (anyone can say anything! [sic on the "!"]); even so, the majority of the answers on those boards seem to say that "with" is better, and "to" seems incorrect. Had your links directed us to reputable sources claiming both are OK, instead of babble that seems to say they're not, maybe there'd be no downvote. It's phrased clearly, but the research is weak. – J.R. Aug 16 '12 at 20:37
I didn't say they were "reputable" sources. I merely said "I've read that...". If they had been reputable references, there would be no point asking this site. The point of my questions was precisely that I needed a reputable site to comment on the issue. – ehtimse1970 Aug 16 '12 at 21:08
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"Associated to" would occasionally be acceptable when speaking about certain IT concepts, but in general purpose usage, "Associated with" is preferable nearly every time.

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That is an interesting reply. I am steeped in IT vernacular, having spent fifteen years writing software. Seeing the use of "associated to" in IT vernacular may be confusing me about its legitimacy. – ehtimse1970 Aug 15 '12 at 18:29
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Also if you frequently view translated sites, you see "Associated to" because web apps such as Google translate translate word for word, and in Romance languages the translation for "associate" is paired with the translation for "to". – Marcus_33 Aug 15 '12 at 18:39
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These day either 'with' or 'to' may be used. Traditionally it was 'associated with', which was preferred in the 1950s. But things have changed, and the use of 'associated to' is now so common as to be unremarkable everywhere.

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Incorrect grammar and the use of jargon have both grown very common but that's doesn't mean one should use them. No? – ehtimse1970 Aug 16 '12 at 12:05
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No, since the question is on word usage, you are only partially right. Nevertheless, the jargon usage will probably be formally acceptable within a generation. – Xavier Vidal Hernández Aug 16 '12 at 12:13

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