Get All Access for $5/mo

How Do You Pronounce GIF? It Depends on Where You Live. Apparently no one really knows.

By Lydia Belanger

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | Getty Images

While GIFs help us say what words cannot, few agree on how GIF is actually pronounced. And there might be good reason for this, according to new data.

Two acceptable pronunciations exist: one with a soft "g" that sounds like a "j," and one with a hard "g," as in "gift" or "give." If you need proof, the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster permit both. (That's all despite the fact that the inventor of the GIF himself, Steve Wilhite, who created those animated image files at CompuServ in the "80s, has said that the hard-"g" camp is "wrong.")

Related: Revealed: The Man Behind the Most Viral GIF in Politics

But some people don't know or don't care what Wilhite or the dictionaries say -- they care what the masses say. Recently, Stack Overflow, a forum for computer programmers, conducted its seventh annual Developer Survey. The company polled more than 64,000 developers in nearly 200 countries, posing a variety of benign questions such as education level and career satisfaction before dropping the big ask: "How do you pronounce "GIF'?"

Sixty-five percent of respondents globally went with the hard "g," while 26 percent reported they say it with a soft "g."

As the Economist points out, the hard "g" is more prevalent in languages around the word. Spanish and Finnish don't have any native words with the soft "g," while most dialects of Arabic are hard "g"-free. The Stack Overflow survey results reflect that discrepancy: People in countries where the hard "g" is more common make up 45 percent of the world's population, but a disproportionate 79 percent of survey respondents were from those countries. Even when answers were weighted based on population, however, the hard "g" prevailed 44 percent to 32 percent globally.

Related: The Origin of the Internet's Most Famous Dumpster Fire

If you're wondering why those percentages don't add up to 100, one reason is because some people enunciate all three letters, like an acronym. Half of respondents from China and 70 percent from South Korea say GIF in this way.

Or, if all of this ambiguity makes you too anxious, you can always call a GIF by its full name: "Graphics Interchange Format."

Lydia Belanger is a former associate editor at Entrepreneur. Follow her on Twitter: @LydiaBelanger.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Leadership

7 Telltale Signs of a Weak Leader

Whether a bully or a people pleaser who can't tell hard truths, poor leadership takes many forms.

Franchise 500 Annual Ranking

50 Franchise CMOs Who Are Changing the Game

Get to know the industry's most influential marketing power players.

Thought Leaders

6 Tips From a Clean Beauty Entrepreneur

Sarah Biggers went from a newbie in the natural beauty space to a pro in just a few years. Here are six things she wishes she'd known at the beginning.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Marketing

5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Giving a Presentation

Are you tired of enduring dull presentations? Over the years, I have compiled a list of common presentation mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are my top five tips.

Science & Technology

5 Rule-Bending AI Hacks to Make Your Mornings More Productive and Profitable

By 2025, AI will transform productivity by streamlining workflows and cutting costs. Major companies like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI are leading the way, advancing AI into "Phase 3," where tools act as digital assistants. Discover 5 AI hacks to boost efficiency and redefine your daily routine.