Is there a verb meaning "to make similar"?
Normalize may be what you want. The Free Dictionary defines it as:
- To make normal, especially to cause to conform to a standard or norm …
- To make (a text or language) regular and consistent …
(excerpted; emphasis added). This can be used to refer to preparing things for comparison. For example, if I know the weight of one thing in pounds and another thing in kilograms, I will convert one of them to the units of the other.
Homogenize means “to make uniform or similar”, or
- To make homogeneous.
- To make uniform in consistency, …
Align is good, too, but I see somebody else posted that already.
Perhaps these definitions of conform from Collins fit your needs
- to make the same or similar: to conform one's idea to another's
- to bring into harmony or agreement; adapt (often used reflexively)
It is often used to describe making two documents read or mean the same thing.
He conformed the instruction sheet to the new specifications received from the manufacturer.
Harmonizes might be best, as it has a good connotation. Coordinates might also work, depending on what these "two items" are.
harmonize
: to cause (two or more things) to be combined or to go together in a pleasing or effective way
Merriam-Webster entry for harmonize
Consider going with synchronize, with the definition:
tally; agree. "their version failed to synchronize with the police view"
If you are combining partial information from both items and/or removing inconsistencies between them, I would suggest reconciling.