I'm a Lonely Girl

I've never heard さみしい, to be perfectly honest. It seems to use the same kanji as さびしい（寂しい）, so maybe they come from different dialects?

Just a hypothesis.

Thats interesting-omoshiroi! Most of the animes Ive seen they always say samishii... the one last night I watched saiunkokumonogatari (total chick flick) and the characters said it a few times so maybe your right it is likely dialect because it is the same kanji.

This talks about: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2160775 -- seems that it's not dialectical. Apparently sometimes mi is interchanged with bi (same deal with mu and bu). Samishii seems easier to say for some people.

arigatou JayHillsan I enjoyed reading that thread. And its true that written it wont matter either way because its the same kanji. I think I will use samishii because tis the one I am used to hearing and I agree that it seems easier to use. When I start my nihongo classes this fall I will ask the sensei if he/she knows any reason to use one over the other and will report back here.

Check if there's any difference between 応じる　and 応ずる　while you're at it.

It's a matter of preference.

さびしい sounds more forceful and stronger like trying to make a point.
さみしい sounds more elegant and charming like a smooth talker would say.

But both have the same meanings. It's the same with 言う, which can be read as いう or ゆう.

Hmm.. I always thought it was ever part of japan you are from :S But from here it seems that it is not so?