That headline isn’t very helpful, as you have no doubt figured out.

After all, it’s spelled “GIF,” but it’s pronounced with a hard G as in “gift” — or perhaps with a soft G as in “giraffe.” But which?

You probably know the answer… except that other people “know” that it’s pronounced the opposite way! So who’s right?

I am, of course.

But that won’t satisfy you (I hope), so go watch a wonderful 3-minute video on this subject by the inimitable Tom Scott. And then you’ll know the answer.

Or not, as the case may be.

PS: If you don’t read IPA — no, not India Pale Ale, I mean International Phonetic Alphabet — you might not be able to read the symbols in the clip here. So… go  learn IPA!

Categories: Linguistics, Technology