The Correct Pronunciation of GIF and PNG

[David Baxter PhD]

The Correct Pronunciation of ?GIF?
by Craig Buckler, SitePoint Blog
Friday, June 19th, 2009

Graphics Interchange Format, or GIF, was introduced by CompuServe in 1987. Show someone the word ?GIF? and ask them to read it aloud. Most English speakers will pronounce it with a hard ?g? as in ?gift?. Unfortunately, they are wrong ? it?s pronounced ?jiff?, with a soft ?g?, and the evidence is presented at the GIF Pronunciation Page.

Personally, I don?t think it matters what the original programmers intended; almost everyone pronounces GIF the way it is written. There are pedants who insist on using ?jiff? but no one understands them! Do you prefer GIF or JIFF? I?m firmly in the GIF camp and my campaign to correct its pronunciation starts here!

(Incidentally, the PNG specification also insists on ?ping? rather than ?pee en gee?, but it?s an open standard so we can change that!)

 

[Trust]

Hey Dr. Baxter - no offense - but it makes me smile that anyone would care about the pronunciation of these terms.

In any case, just as silly I suppose, is that I feel it necessary to correct the explanation "pronounce it with a hard ?g? as in ?gift?. Unfortunately, they are wrong ? it?s pronounced ?jiff?, with a soft ?g?,"

Isn't it the other way around? - a soft "g" for "gift" and a hard "g" for "jiff"? That's how I was taught. :teach:

Have a great day! Said with a soft "g"

 

[David Baxter PhD]

How do you pronounce "great" with a soft g without gagging on your tongue, both with a hard g?

 

[Trust]

:lol: I am laughing so hard - I truly thought the hard and soft g's were reversed - must be my slightly dyslexic mind!

I have added a link for others whom may have been mixed up like me . . . or whom I may have caused to be mixed up!

Word Pronunciation - Hard and Soft C and G Sounds

I better take off my cap and gown now and stay away from tutoring my grandkids!

Have a great day Dr. Baxter - said with a hard g (it still sounds backwards to me, but I can be stubborn!)

 

[Disturbedforlife]

I always said "jiff" for GIF. But I admit, I said "pee en gee" not "ping". I'll keep that in mind