What is the difference between 始めに and 初めに?


I'd learned 始{はじ}めに to mean "in the beginning" or "firstly" a while back, and
recently I came across 初{はじ}めに to have the exact same meaning.

I looked it up on the dictionary, and the two actually appear as alternative
spellings for the exact same entry, as opposed to two separate entries with
similar meanings.

Is there any nuance to when one should be used over the other; for instance,
does the nuance with regards to starting something as it relates to time vs
starting a process, as explained in the first part of [this
answer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/57913/1330) apply here? Or are
they completely interchangeable?




I'd say it is more or less interchangeable though there are differences
strictly speaking.

As the linked answer says, 初 means the ordinal _first_ and 始 means the
beginning. Note other usages: 始める and not 初める for _to begin_ (there is reading
初{そ}める); 初めて and not 始めて for _for the first time_.

はじめに is usually 初めに because it is _firstly_ (esp. if it is followed by 次に
etc.). But at the same time, you are beginning something when you say
_firstly_ , so 始めに is not completely wrong. In a sense, they are as
interchangeable as _to begin with_ and _firstly_ are. The distinction is
particularly vague for はじめ **に**. As mentioned above, using 始めて to mean _for
the first time_ is felt wrong more strongly.

