diff --git a/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long.cpp b/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long.cpp
index 390005d80e..9ea6739c8e 100644
--- a/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long.cpp
+++ b/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long.cpp
@@ -689,7 +689,7 @@ void PairLJCharmmCoulLong::init_style()
   int irequest;
   int respa = 0;
 
-  if (update->whichflag == 1 && strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa")) {
+  if (update->whichflag == 1 && utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa")) {
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) respa = 1;
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_middle >= 0) respa = 2;
   }
@@ -718,7 +718,7 @@ void PairLJCharmmCoulLong::init_style()
 
   // set & error check interior rRESPA cutoffs
 
-  if (strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa") &&
+  if (utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa") &&
       ((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) {
     cut_respa = ((Respa *) update->integrate)->cutoff;
     cut_in_off = cut_respa[0];
diff --git a/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_cut_coul_long.cpp b/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_cut_coul_long.cpp
index ff20dc2570..13d60e92e2 100644
--- a/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_cut_coul_long.cpp
+++ b/src/KSPACE/pair_lj_cut_coul_long.cpp
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ void PairLJCutCoulLong::init_style()
   int irequest;
   int respa = 0;
 
-  if (update->whichflag == 1 && strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa")) {
+  if (update->whichflag == 1 && utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa")) {
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) respa = 1;
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_middle >= 0) respa = 2;
   }
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ void PairLJCutCoulLong::init_style()
 
   // set rRESPA cutoffs
 
-  if (strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa") &&
+  if (utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa") &&
       ((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0)
     cut_respa = ((Respa *) update->integrate)->cutoff;
   else cut_respa = NULL;
diff --git a/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long_soft.cpp b/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long_soft.cpp
index f0bc491f05..81c1599508 100644
--- a/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long_soft.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_charmm_coul_long_soft.cpp
@@ -688,12 +688,12 @@ void PairLJCharmmCoulLongSoft::init_style()
     error->all(FLERR,
                "Pair style lj/charmm/coul/long/soft requires atom attribute q");
 
-  // request regular or rRESPA neighbor list
+  // request regular or rRESPA neighbor lists
 
   int irequest;
   int respa = 0;
 
-  if (update->whichflag == 1 && strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa")) {
+  if (update->whichflag == 1 && utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa")) {
    if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) respa = 1;
    if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_middle >= 0) respa = 2;
   }
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ void PairLJCharmmCoulLongSoft::init_style()
 
   // set & error check interior rRESPA cutoffs
 
-  if (strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa") &&
+  if (utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa") &&
       ((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) {
     cut_respa = ((Respa *) update->integrate)->cutoff;
     if (MIN(cut_lj,cut_coul) < cut_respa[3])
diff --git a/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_coul_long_soft.cpp b/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_coul_long_soft.cpp
index 5167cb6a54..c22b2ca673 100644
--- a/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_coul_long_soft.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_coul_long_soft.cpp
@@ -631,12 +631,12 @@ void PairLJCutCoulLongSoft::init_style()
   if (!atom->q_flag)
     error->all(FLERR,"Pair style lj/cut/coul/long/soft requires atom attribute q");
 
-  // request regular or rRESPA neighbor list
+  // request regular or rRESPA neighbor lists
 
   int irequest;
   int respa = 0;
 
-  if (update->whichflag == 1 && strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa")) {
+  if (update->whichflag == 1 && utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa")) {
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) respa = 1;
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_middle >= 0) respa = 2;
   }
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ void PairLJCutCoulLongSoft::init_style()
 
   // set rRESPA cutoffs
 
-  if (strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa") &&
+  if (utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa") &&
       ((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0)
     cut_respa = ((Respa *) update->integrate)->cutoff;
   else cut_respa = NULL;
diff --git a/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_soft.cpp b/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_soft.cpp
index 53e6e61909..92abdf540a 100644
--- a/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_soft.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-FEP/pair_lj_cut_soft.cpp
@@ -509,12 +509,12 @@ void PairLJCutSoft::coeff(int narg, char **arg)
 
 void PairLJCutSoft::init_style()
 {
-  // request regular or rRESPA neighbor list
+  // request regular or rRESPA neighbor lists
 
   int irequest;
   int respa = 0;
 
-  if (update->whichflag == 1 && strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa")) {
+  if (update->whichflag == 1 && utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa")) {
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) respa = 1;
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_middle >= 0) respa = 2;
   }
@@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ void PairLJCutSoft::init_style()
 
   // set rRESPA cutoffs
 
-  if (strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa") &&
+  if (utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa") &&
       ((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0)
     cut_respa = ((Respa *) update->integrate)->cutoff;
   else cut_respa = NULL;
diff --git a/src/pair_lj_cut.cpp b/src/pair_lj_cut.cpp
index e31e275a7d..60bb7bceee 100644
--- a/src/pair_lj_cut.cpp
+++ b/src/pair_lj_cut.cpp
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ void PairLJCut::init_style()
   int irequest;
   int respa = 0;
 
-  if (update->whichflag == 1 && strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa")) {
+  if (update->whichflag == 1 && utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa")) {
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0) respa = 1;
     if (((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_middle >= 0) respa = 2;
   }
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ void PairLJCut::init_style()
 
   // set rRESPA cutoffs
 
-  if (strstr(update->integrate_style,"respa") &&
+  if (utils::strmatch(update->integrate_style,"^respa") &&
       ((Respa *) update->integrate)->level_inner >= 0)
     cut_respa = ((Respa *) update->integrate)->cutoff;
   else cut_respa = NULL;