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I recently used the phrase "start arranging things" (in my recently built drawer) while the native American English speaker replied with "You mean organize?"

What is the correct usage, or are they both equivalent and are in fact correct spoken English?

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    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Commented Mar 5, 2017 at 21:20

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If you arrange things, you:

place them in a particular position, usually in order to make them look attractive or tidy.

If you organize a set of things, you:

arrange them in an ordered way or give them a structure.

The difference is very subtle, but organise would be to arrange with the view of being able to find things efficiently next time, whereas arrange is for more aesthetic reasons - simply to make it neat and tidy rather than accessible.

The distinction between the two is so slight that it probably isn't worth worrying about, it's more a personal preference.

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    Arrange may also be used in the sense of setting things up so it's immediately obvious to you whether someone else has had a look in your drawers.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Mar 6, 2017 at 2:11
  • @WayfaringStranger as opposed to organise? The person who commented on the OP's usage of arrange implies the opposite...
    – marcellothearcane
    Commented Mar 6, 2017 at 6:55
  • Organise definitely includes an implied purpose (being easy to find). Arranged could mean any purpose: setting them up to see if they've been disturbed is a different purpose.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Jul 21, 2023 at 15:46
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  • To organize means to group things in a logical way so they are easy to find, manage, and work with.

One of the most commonly used examples is to organize your closet. It entails that your closet is messy and it's not easy for you to find your clothes, let alone access them. So, what you mean by organizing your closet is to group items logically: let's say you group pants, shirts, t-shirts, accessories, and so forth in different categories (things grouped together because they have something in common). And, place them anywhere in the closet.

  • To arrange means to "place" things in a specific order to achieve a desired outcome: maybe for aesthetics, differentiation, optimizing space, accessibility, or anything.

For example: after making categories for your clothes might place your pants in your "pants" category according to weekdays: Brown pants on Monday, Grey pants on Tuesday, and so forth. And, you might arrange each item in each category according to weekdays. This arrangement is done to save you the time each morning you spend deciding what to wear for the office. And, last but not least, you might then arrange the categories according to your own preference. I like to arrange my clothes categories as such: First, shirts, then, t-shirts, trousers, denim, and joggers, and lastly, for accessories I have a different locker section in my closet. This arrangement indicated the order I wear my clothes: I wear a shirt, then pants, then accessories (I know it's weird but still makes sense to me).

P.S. These terms are really important to know. For context, an entire field is dedicated to organise data in computers: Data Structures.

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    So, should the OP arrange things in their drawer or organize their drawer?
    – KillingTime
    Commented Jul 21, 2023 at 13:22
  • @KillingTime Answer: it depends. Is she making logical categories so things could be easily found and managed thereafter? Or, she's placing items or categories in a specific order so to achieve greater accessibility or optimizing space. If she just placing things in a drawer to optimize space so that each item fits well in the drawer, she's arranging. If she arranges categorical items in a specific order let's say in order of frequently used items, she's arranging.
    – Vinay Sharma
    Commented Jul 21, 2023 at 14:14

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