What is the commonly accepted pronunciation of FAQ? Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara Planned maintenance scheduled April 17/18, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)How to pronounce FAQ? ˈɛfˈeɪˈkyu or fæk?When should I use “a” vs “an”?“a opossum” or “an opossum”?How is SQL pronounced?What is the pronunciation of parenthesized ‘read’?Pronunciation of “the”General rule for pronouncing initialisms?Pronunciation of the letter 'W'What's the correct pronunciation of BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)?Different pronunciation of “o” in done, lone and goneProper Acronym PronunciationWhat type of word is SeQueL called, when you pronounce the abbreviation SQL as “SeQueL”What is the real pronunciation of “postman”?
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What is the commonly accepted pronunciation of FAQ?
Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara
Planned maintenance scheduled April 17/18, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)How to pronounce FAQ? ˈɛfˈeɪˈkyu or fæk?When should I use “a” vs “an”?“a opossum” or “an opossum”?How is SQL pronounced?What is the pronunciation of parenthesized ‘read’?Pronunciation of “the”General rule for pronouncing initialisms?Pronunciation of the letter 'W'What's the correct pronunciation of BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)?Different pronunciation of “o” in done, lone and goneProper Acronym PronunciationWhat type of word is SeQueL called, when you pronounce the abbreviation SQL as “SeQueL”What is the real pronunciation of “postman”?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
I hear FAQ(s) pronounced like a word in "FACK(s)", while I go letter by letter. In usage, what is more common?
(Similar to SQL vs Sequel)
pronunciation colloquialisms acronyms common-pronunciation
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
add a comment |
I hear FAQ(s) pronounced like a word in "FACK(s)", while I go letter by letter. In usage, what is more common?
(Similar to SQL vs Sequel)
pronunciation colloquialisms acronyms common-pronunciation
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
10
I better not tell you how the Russians pronounce it...
– RegDwigнt♦
Oct 19 '10 at 8:47
1
@RegDwight - They pronounce it "Dark Star".
– Neil Fein
Jul 12 '11 at 2:37
"facks" is what I hear.
– Greg Lee
2 hours ago
Is there a regional thing? I suspect fak might be more common in the US, while F.A.Q is preferred in the UK.
– James Random
2 hours ago
I've always heard/spoken "eff-eh-que".
– Hot Licks
1 hour ago
add a comment |
I hear FAQ(s) pronounced like a word in "FACK(s)", while I go letter by letter. In usage, what is more common?
(Similar to SQL vs Sequel)
pronunciation colloquialisms acronyms common-pronunciation
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
I hear FAQ(s) pronounced like a word in "FACK(s)", while I go letter by letter. In usage, what is more common?
(Similar to SQL vs Sequel)
pronunciation colloquialisms acronyms common-pronunciation
pronunciation colloquialisms acronyms common-pronunciation
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
edited Feb 19 '11 at 19:06
Manoochehr
7,221134273
7,221134273
asked Oct 18 '10 at 18:31
user1752
10
I better not tell you how the Russians pronounce it...
– RegDwigнt♦
Oct 19 '10 at 8:47
1
@RegDwight - They pronounce it "Dark Star".
– Neil Fein
Jul 12 '11 at 2:37
"facks" is what I hear.
– Greg Lee
2 hours ago
Is there a regional thing? I suspect fak might be more common in the US, while F.A.Q is preferred in the UK.
– James Random
2 hours ago
I've always heard/spoken "eff-eh-que".
– Hot Licks
1 hour ago
add a comment |
10
I better not tell you how the Russians pronounce it...
– RegDwigнt♦
Oct 19 '10 at 8:47
1
@RegDwight - They pronounce it "Dark Star".
– Neil Fein
Jul 12 '11 at 2:37
"facks" is what I hear.
– Greg Lee
2 hours ago
Is there a regional thing? I suspect fak might be more common in the US, while F.A.Q is preferred in the UK.
– James Random
2 hours ago
I've always heard/spoken "eff-eh-que".
– Hot Licks
1 hour ago
10
10
I better not tell you how the Russians pronounce it...
– RegDwigнt♦
Oct 19 '10 at 8:47
I better not tell you how the Russians pronounce it...
– RegDwigнt♦
Oct 19 '10 at 8:47
1
1
@RegDwight - They pronounce it "Dark Star".
– Neil Fein
Jul 12 '11 at 2:37
@RegDwight - They pronounce it "Dark Star".
– Neil Fein
Jul 12 '11 at 2:37
"facks" is what I hear.
– Greg Lee
2 hours ago
"facks" is what I hear.
– Greg Lee
2 hours ago
Is there a regional thing? I suspect fak might be more common in the US, while F.A.Q is preferred in the UK.
– James Random
2 hours ago
Is there a regional thing? I suspect fak might be more common in the US, while F.A.Q is preferred in the UK.
– James Random
2 hours ago
I've always heard/spoken "eff-eh-que".
– Hot Licks
1 hour ago
I've always heard/spoken "eff-eh-que".
– Hot Licks
1 hour ago
add a comment |
7 Answers
7
active
oldest
votes
I believe that the more common one is "fæk". According to Wikipedia:
Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual media, its pronunciation
varies; "fack," "fax," "facts," and "F.A.Q." are commonly heard.
Wikipedia's sources are the Jargon file and FAQs about FAQs.
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
add a comment |
I have only ever heard it pronounced 'Eff Ay Que'.
However it does seem to be one of those phrases that will never have a 'proper' pronunciation.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
2
I think that eff-ay-que is the least ambiguous pronunciation, altho as noted here, there is not really a formally correct one. (As if English had formally correct pronunciations for anything, haha. :-) )
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 15:41
add a comment |
In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters, e.g. "Eye Arr Ess" or "Arr Pee Jee" rather than "Erse" or "R'pug." Pronouncing the letters individually rather than coming up with a pronunciation for something that is not an actual word avoids misunderstandings.
That being said, especially in contexts where the given acronym or initialism will be used often (FAQ in a web context; various military acronyms) there will often be an accepted pronunciation that the community recognizes for use within the community.
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
8
"In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters." I have to disagree with this generalization. Even in the most formal situations, it would not ever be preferred to pronounce e.g. NATO, AIDS, ROM, or SCUBA as a string of letters. If I were to speak the letters A-I-D-S it would simply be confusing and, for all practical purposes, considered wrong.
– Kosmonaut
Oct 18 '10 at 20:50
2
NATO, AIDS, and SCUBA have entered the vernacular as words in their own right--same with RADAR which is technically an initialism, but which has been (through its context in military usage) used often enough as an ersatz word that it has gained legitimacy. This is one of the ways in which the language has evolved over time.
– munin
Oct 18 '10 at 21:20
3
I'm curious that people still sometimes spell "scuba" in all uppercase but never do for radar. Or is that my imagination?
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 5:13
1
No, you're right; many people do not recognize RADAR as an initialism (RAdio Detection And Ranging, for the curious) because it's been in the language as a 'word' for longer than a generation.
– munin
Oct 19 '10 at 15:28
3
It's also of note that quite a few initialisms are consciously construct to be pronouncable as a word. Not sure of examples, but SCUBA seems to be one, and RADAR, well, "RAdio" makes it an non-initialism anyway. ;-) LASER also comes to mind as an initalism that was means to be spoken as a word.
– Jürgen A. Erhard
Feb 19 '11 at 15:05
|
show 2 more comments
The only reasonably objective way I can think of to gauge the relative popularity of the pronunciations "fack" and "f-a-q" is by consulting a Google Ngram Viewer chart for "a FAQ" versus "an FAQ." Here's the chart I got matching "a FAQ" (red line) against "an FAQ" (blue line) for the years 1980 through 2008 in English-language publications of all sorts:
Though historically "a FAQ" has been more common, the results for the two options are so close for the last few years included in the chart that their relative popularity in 2014 is anyone's guess.
The results for American English publications are much the same as the overall results:
But the results for British English publications are somewhat friendlier to "an FAQ" and yet at the same time seemingly more volatile:
On the strength of these charts, both pronunciations of FAQ appear to be thoroughly mainstream. As a precautionary measure, you might ask around to see whether a consensus exists in your workplace favoring one pronunciation or the other, since such a local consensus might amount to a house style on pronunciation. But if no such consensus exists, I think that you should feel free to use whichever pronunciation you prefer.
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
1
That is quite interesting that the fæk/fæks pronunciation is losing ground to the initialism and in the most recent year available been surpassed. Conventional wisdom would dictate it should go the other way around.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 0:49
Hi, guifa. I wouldn't read to much into any one- or two- or three-year change in frequency, especially at the near end of the chart, but I admit that I was surprised that the "F-A-Q" pronunciation appears to be doing so well in 2008 publications. At the publishers where I've worked, we often finessed the issue by restructuring sentences to avoid putting an indefinite article before the word FAQ (because inevitably we'd get letters from readers complaining that we'd gotten the article wrong).
– Sven Yargs
Aug 28 '14 at 0:54
True (especially for the British one), but there's still a very steady downward trend on fæk in AmEng, with a plateau for F-A-Q. Either way, you would think though that the initialism form would be moribund once the acronym form took over. 'Tis curious, if nothing else.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 1:04
add a comment |
In order to avoid misunderstandings I think FAQ should be pronounced as an initialism (where you keep each letter separated: Eff-Ay-Kyu) rather than as an acronym (where the letters are pronounced as a word: fack).
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
add a comment |
Definitely articulate each letter individually...Don't say "fack" or when I was younger, in my mind FAQ = "f*** u" which made me really confused. Never heard anyone say anything besides F A Q anyways.
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
Generally, three letter acronyms are pronounced as individual letters. Acronyms of four letters or more are pronounced as words.
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
add a comment |
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7 Answers
7
active
oldest
votes
7 Answers
7
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
I believe that the more common one is "fæk". According to Wikipedia:
Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual media, its pronunciation
varies; "fack," "fax," "facts," and "F.A.Q." are commonly heard.
Wikipedia's sources are the Jargon file and FAQs about FAQs.
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
add a comment |
I believe that the more common one is "fæk". According to Wikipedia:
Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual media, its pronunciation
varies; "fack," "fax," "facts," and "F.A.Q." are commonly heard.
Wikipedia's sources are the Jargon file and FAQs about FAQs.
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
add a comment |
I believe that the more common one is "fæk". According to Wikipedia:
Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual media, its pronunciation
varies; "fack," "fax," "facts," and "F.A.Q." are commonly heard.
Wikipedia's sources are the Jargon file and FAQs about FAQs.
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
I believe that the more common one is "fæk". According to Wikipedia:
Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual media, its pronunciation
varies; "fack," "fax," "facts," and "F.A.Q." are commonly heard.
Wikipedia's sources are the Jargon file and FAQs about FAQs.
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
edited Aug 18 '12 at 7:16
kiamlaluno
43.9k57183296
43.9k57183296
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
answered Oct 18 '10 at 18:57
Mehper C. PalavuzlarMehper C. Palavuzlar
24.9k57140201
24.9k57140201
add a comment |
add a comment |
I have only ever heard it pronounced 'Eff Ay Que'.
However it does seem to be one of those phrases that will never have a 'proper' pronunciation.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
2
I think that eff-ay-que is the least ambiguous pronunciation, altho as noted here, there is not really a formally correct one. (As if English had formally correct pronunciations for anything, haha. :-) )
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 15:41
add a comment |
I have only ever heard it pronounced 'Eff Ay Que'.
However it does seem to be one of those phrases that will never have a 'proper' pronunciation.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
2
I think that eff-ay-que is the least ambiguous pronunciation, altho as noted here, there is not really a formally correct one. (As if English had formally correct pronunciations for anything, haha. :-) )
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 15:41
add a comment |
I have only ever heard it pronounced 'Eff Ay Que'.
However it does seem to be one of those phrases that will never have a 'proper' pronunciation.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
I have only ever heard it pronounced 'Eff Ay Que'.
However it does seem to be one of those phrases that will never have a 'proper' pronunciation.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
answered Oct 19 '10 at 6:02
DhaustDhaust
4851312
4851312
2
I think that eff-ay-que is the least ambiguous pronunciation, altho as noted here, there is not really a formally correct one. (As if English had formally correct pronunciations for anything, haha. :-) )
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 15:41
add a comment |
2
I think that eff-ay-que is the least ambiguous pronunciation, altho as noted here, there is not really a formally correct one. (As if English had formally correct pronunciations for anything, haha. :-) )
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 15:41
2
2
I think that eff-ay-que is the least ambiguous pronunciation, altho as noted here, there is not really a formally correct one. (As if English had formally correct pronunciations for anything, haha. :-) )
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 15:41
I think that eff-ay-que is the least ambiguous pronunciation, altho as noted here, there is not really a formally correct one. (As if English had formally correct pronunciations for anything, haha. :-) )
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 15:41
add a comment |
In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters, e.g. "Eye Arr Ess" or "Arr Pee Jee" rather than "Erse" or "R'pug." Pronouncing the letters individually rather than coming up with a pronunciation for something that is not an actual word avoids misunderstandings.
That being said, especially in contexts where the given acronym or initialism will be used often (FAQ in a web context; various military acronyms) there will often be an accepted pronunciation that the community recognizes for use within the community.
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
8
"In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters." I have to disagree with this generalization. Even in the most formal situations, it would not ever be preferred to pronounce e.g. NATO, AIDS, ROM, or SCUBA as a string of letters. If I were to speak the letters A-I-D-S it would simply be confusing and, for all practical purposes, considered wrong.
– Kosmonaut
Oct 18 '10 at 20:50
2
NATO, AIDS, and SCUBA have entered the vernacular as words in their own right--same with RADAR which is technically an initialism, but which has been (through its context in military usage) used often enough as an ersatz word that it has gained legitimacy. This is one of the ways in which the language has evolved over time.
– munin
Oct 18 '10 at 21:20
3
I'm curious that people still sometimes spell "scuba" in all uppercase but never do for radar. Or is that my imagination?
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 5:13
1
No, you're right; many people do not recognize RADAR as an initialism (RAdio Detection And Ranging, for the curious) because it's been in the language as a 'word' for longer than a generation.
– munin
Oct 19 '10 at 15:28
3
It's also of note that quite a few initialisms are consciously construct to be pronouncable as a word. Not sure of examples, but SCUBA seems to be one, and RADAR, well, "RAdio" makes it an non-initialism anyway. ;-) LASER also comes to mind as an initalism that was means to be spoken as a word.
– Jürgen A. Erhard
Feb 19 '11 at 15:05
|
show 2 more comments
In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters, e.g. "Eye Arr Ess" or "Arr Pee Jee" rather than "Erse" or "R'pug." Pronouncing the letters individually rather than coming up with a pronunciation for something that is not an actual word avoids misunderstandings.
That being said, especially in contexts where the given acronym or initialism will be used often (FAQ in a web context; various military acronyms) there will often be an accepted pronunciation that the community recognizes for use within the community.
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
8
"In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters." I have to disagree with this generalization. Even in the most formal situations, it would not ever be preferred to pronounce e.g. NATO, AIDS, ROM, or SCUBA as a string of letters. If I were to speak the letters A-I-D-S it would simply be confusing and, for all practical purposes, considered wrong.
– Kosmonaut
Oct 18 '10 at 20:50
2
NATO, AIDS, and SCUBA have entered the vernacular as words in their own right--same with RADAR which is technically an initialism, but which has been (through its context in military usage) used often enough as an ersatz word that it has gained legitimacy. This is one of the ways in which the language has evolved over time.
– munin
Oct 18 '10 at 21:20
3
I'm curious that people still sometimes spell "scuba" in all uppercase but never do for radar. Or is that my imagination?
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 5:13
1
No, you're right; many people do not recognize RADAR as an initialism (RAdio Detection And Ranging, for the curious) because it's been in the language as a 'word' for longer than a generation.
– munin
Oct 19 '10 at 15:28
3
It's also of note that quite a few initialisms are consciously construct to be pronouncable as a word. Not sure of examples, but SCUBA seems to be one, and RADAR, well, "RAdio" makes it an non-initialism anyway. ;-) LASER also comes to mind as an initalism that was means to be spoken as a word.
– Jürgen A. Erhard
Feb 19 '11 at 15:05
|
show 2 more comments
In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters, e.g. "Eye Arr Ess" or "Arr Pee Jee" rather than "Erse" or "R'pug." Pronouncing the letters individually rather than coming up with a pronunciation for something that is not an actual word avoids misunderstandings.
That being said, especially in contexts where the given acronym or initialism will be used often (FAQ in a web context; various military acronyms) there will often be an accepted pronunciation that the community recognizes for use within the community.
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters, e.g. "Eye Arr Ess" or "Arr Pee Jee" rather than "Erse" or "R'pug." Pronouncing the letters individually rather than coming up with a pronunciation for something that is not an actual word avoids misunderstandings.
That being said, especially in contexts where the given acronym or initialism will be used often (FAQ in a web context; various military acronyms) there will often be an accepted pronunciation that the community recognizes for use within the community.
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
answered Oct 18 '10 at 19:41
muninmunin
1,4631011
1,4631011
8
"In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters." I have to disagree with this generalization. Even in the most formal situations, it would not ever be preferred to pronounce e.g. NATO, AIDS, ROM, or SCUBA as a string of letters. If I were to speak the letters A-I-D-S it would simply be confusing and, for all practical purposes, considered wrong.
– Kosmonaut
Oct 18 '10 at 20:50
2
NATO, AIDS, and SCUBA have entered the vernacular as words in their own right--same with RADAR which is technically an initialism, but which has been (through its context in military usage) used often enough as an ersatz word that it has gained legitimacy. This is one of the ways in which the language has evolved over time.
– munin
Oct 18 '10 at 21:20
3
I'm curious that people still sometimes spell "scuba" in all uppercase but never do for radar. Or is that my imagination?
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 5:13
1
No, you're right; many people do not recognize RADAR as an initialism (RAdio Detection And Ranging, for the curious) because it's been in the language as a 'word' for longer than a generation.
– munin
Oct 19 '10 at 15:28
3
It's also of note that quite a few initialisms are consciously construct to be pronouncable as a word. Not sure of examples, but SCUBA seems to be one, and RADAR, well, "RAdio" makes it an non-initialism anyway. ;-) LASER also comes to mind as an initalism that was means to be spoken as a word.
– Jürgen A. Erhard
Feb 19 '11 at 15:05
|
show 2 more comments
8
"In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters." I have to disagree with this generalization. Even in the most formal situations, it would not ever be preferred to pronounce e.g. NATO, AIDS, ROM, or SCUBA as a string of letters. If I were to speak the letters A-I-D-S it would simply be confusing and, for all practical purposes, considered wrong.
– Kosmonaut
Oct 18 '10 at 20:50
2
NATO, AIDS, and SCUBA have entered the vernacular as words in their own right--same with RADAR which is technically an initialism, but which has been (through its context in military usage) used often enough as an ersatz word that it has gained legitimacy. This is one of the ways in which the language has evolved over time.
– munin
Oct 18 '10 at 21:20
3
I'm curious that people still sometimes spell "scuba" in all uppercase but never do for radar. Or is that my imagination?
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 5:13
1
No, you're right; many people do not recognize RADAR as an initialism (RAdio Detection And Ranging, for the curious) because it's been in the language as a 'word' for longer than a generation.
– munin
Oct 19 '10 at 15:28
3
It's also of note that quite a few initialisms are consciously construct to be pronouncable as a word. Not sure of examples, but SCUBA seems to be one, and RADAR, well, "RAdio" makes it an non-initialism anyway. ;-) LASER also comes to mind as an initalism that was means to be spoken as a word.
– Jürgen A. Erhard
Feb 19 '11 at 15:05
8
8
"In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters." I have to disagree with this generalization. Even in the most formal situations, it would not ever be preferred to pronounce e.g. NATO, AIDS, ROM, or SCUBA as a string of letters. If I were to speak the letters A-I-D-S it would simply be confusing and, for all practical purposes, considered wrong.
– Kosmonaut
Oct 18 '10 at 20:50
"In a general sense, initialisms and acronyms are most properly pronounced as the letters." I have to disagree with this generalization. Even in the most formal situations, it would not ever be preferred to pronounce e.g. NATO, AIDS, ROM, or SCUBA as a string of letters. If I were to speak the letters A-I-D-S it would simply be confusing and, for all practical purposes, considered wrong.
– Kosmonaut
Oct 18 '10 at 20:50
2
2
NATO, AIDS, and SCUBA have entered the vernacular as words in their own right--same with RADAR which is technically an initialism, but which has been (through its context in military usage) used often enough as an ersatz word that it has gained legitimacy. This is one of the ways in which the language has evolved over time.
– munin
Oct 18 '10 at 21:20
NATO, AIDS, and SCUBA have entered the vernacular as words in their own right--same with RADAR which is technically an initialism, but which has been (through its context in military usage) used often enough as an ersatz word that it has gained legitimacy. This is one of the ways in which the language has evolved over time.
– munin
Oct 18 '10 at 21:20
3
3
I'm curious that people still sometimes spell "scuba" in all uppercase but never do for radar. Or is that my imagination?
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 5:13
I'm curious that people still sometimes spell "scuba" in all uppercase but never do for radar. Or is that my imagination?
– Mike Pope
Oct 19 '10 at 5:13
1
1
No, you're right; many people do not recognize RADAR as an initialism (RAdio Detection And Ranging, for the curious) because it's been in the language as a 'word' for longer than a generation.
– munin
Oct 19 '10 at 15:28
No, you're right; many people do not recognize RADAR as an initialism (RAdio Detection And Ranging, for the curious) because it's been in the language as a 'word' for longer than a generation.
– munin
Oct 19 '10 at 15:28
3
3
It's also of note that quite a few initialisms are consciously construct to be pronouncable as a word. Not sure of examples, but SCUBA seems to be one, and RADAR, well, "RAdio" makes it an non-initialism anyway. ;-) LASER also comes to mind as an initalism that was means to be spoken as a word.
– Jürgen A. Erhard
Feb 19 '11 at 15:05
It's also of note that quite a few initialisms are consciously construct to be pronouncable as a word. Not sure of examples, but SCUBA seems to be one, and RADAR, well, "RAdio" makes it an non-initialism anyway. ;-) LASER also comes to mind as an initalism that was means to be spoken as a word.
– Jürgen A. Erhard
Feb 19 '11 at 15:05
|
show 2 more comments
The only reasonably objective way I can think of to gauge the relative popularity of the pronunciations "fack" and "f-a-q" is by consulting a Google Ngram Viewer chart for "a FAQ" versus "an FAQ." Here's the chart I got matching "a FAQ" (red line) against "an FAQ" (blue line) for the years 1980 through 2008 in English-language publications of all sorts:
Though historically "a FAQ" has been more common, the results for the two options are so close for the last few years included in the chart that their relative popularity in 2014 is anyone's guess.
The results for American English publications are much the same as the overall results:
But the results for British English publications are somewhat friendlier to "an FAQ" and yet at the same time seemingly more volatile:
On the strength of these charts, both pronunciations of FAQ appear to be thoroughly mainstream. As a precautionary measure, you might ask around to see whether a consensus exists in your workplace favoring one pronunciation or the other, since such a local consensus might amount to a house style on pronunciation. But if no such consensus exists, I think that you should feel free to use whichever pronunciation you prefer.
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
1
That is quite interesting that the fæk/fæks pronunciation is losing ground to the initialism and in the most recent year available been surpassed. Conventional wisdom would dictate it should go the other way around.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 0:49
Hi, guifa. I wouldn't read to much into any one- or two- or three-year change in frequency, especially at the near end of the chart, but I admit that I was surprised that the "F-A-Q" pronunciation appears to be doing so well in 2008 publications. At the publishers where I've worked, we often finessed the issue by restructuring sentences to avoid putting an indefinite article before the word FAQ (because inevitably we'd get letters from readers complaining that we'd gotten the article wrong).
– Sven Yargs
Aug 28 '14 at 0:54
True (especially for the British one), but there's still a very steady downward trend on fæk in AmEng, with a plateau for F-A-Q. Either way, you would think though that the initialism form would be moribund once the acronym form took over. 'Tis curious, if nothing else.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 1:04
add a comment |
The only reasonably objective way I can think of to gauge the relative popularity of the pronunciations "fack" and "f-a-q" is by consulting a Google Ngram Viewer chart for "a FAQ" versus "an FAQ." Here's the chart I got matching "a FAQ" (red line) against "an FAQ" (blue line) for the years 1980 through 2008 in English-language publications of all sorts:
Though historically "a FAQ" has been more common, the results for the two options are so close for the last few years included in the chart that their relative popularity in 2014 is anyone's guess.
The results for American English publications are much the same as the overall results:
But the results for British English publications are somewhat friendlier to "an FAQ" and yet at the same time seemingly more volatile:
On the strength of these charts, both pronunciations of FAQ appear to be thoroughly mainstream. As a precautionary measure, you might ask around to see whether a consensus exists in your workplace favoring one pronunciation or the other, since such a local consensus might amount to a house style on pronunciation. But if no such consensus exists, I think that you should feel free to use whichever pronunciation you prefer.
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
1
That is quite interesting that the fæk/fæks pronunciation is losing ground to the initialism and in the most recent year available been surpassed. Conventional wisdom would dictate it should go the other way around.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 0:49
Hi, guifa. I wouldn't read to much into any one- or two- or three-year change in frequency, especially at the near end of the chart, but I admit that I was surprised that the "F-A-Q" pronunciation appears to be doing so well in 2008 publications. At the publishers where I've worked, we often finessed the issue by restructuring sentences to avoid putting an indefinite article before the word FAQ (because inevitably we'd get letters from readers complaining that we'd gotten the article wrong).
– Sven Yargs
Aug 28 '14 at 0:54
True (especially for the British one), but there's still a very steady downward trend on fæk in AmEng, with a plateau for F-A-Q. Either way, you would think though that the initialism form would be moribund once the acronym form took over. 'Tis curious, if nothing else.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 1:04
add a comment |
The only reasonably objective way I can think of to gauge the relative popularity of the pronunciations "fack" and "f-a-q" is by consulting a Google Ngram Viewer chart for "a FAQ" versus "an FAQ." Here's the chart I got matching "a FAQ" (red line) against "an FAQ" (blue line) for the years 1980 through 2008 in English-language publications of all sorts:
Though historically "a FAQ" has been more common, the results for the two options are so close for the last few years included in the chart that their relative popularity in 2014 is anyone's guess.
The results for American English publications are much the same as the overall results:
But the results for British English publications are somewhat friendlier to "an FAQ" and yet at the same time seemingly more volatile:
On the strength of these charts, both pronunciations of FAQ appear to be thoroughly mainstream. As a precautionary measure, you might ask around to see whether a consensus exists in your workplace favoring one pronunciation or the other, since such a local consensus might amount to a house style on pronunciation. But if no such consensus exists, I think that you should feel free to use whichever pronunciation you prefer.
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
The only reasonably objective way I can think of to gauge the relative popularity of the pronunciations "fack" and "f-a-q" is by consulting a Google Ngram Viewer chart for "a FAQ" versus "an FAQ." Here's the chart I got matching "a FAQ" (red line) against "an FAQ" (blue line) for the years 1980 through 2008 in English-language publications of all sorts:
Though historically "a FAQ" has been more common, the results for the two options are so close for the last few years included in the chart that their relative popularity in 2014 is anyone's guess.
The results for American English publications are much the same as the overall results:
But the results for British English publications are somewhat friendlier to "an FAQ" and yet at the same time seemingly more volatile:
On the strength of these charts, both pronunciations of FAQ appear to be thoroughly mainstream. As a precautionary measure, you might ask around to see whether a consensus exists in your workplace favoring one pronunciation or the other, since such a local consensus might amount to a house style on pronunciation. But if no such consensus exists, I think that you should feel free to use whichever pronunciation you prefer.
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
answered Aug 28 '14 at 0:29
Sven YargsSven Yargs
115k20251508
115k20251508
1
That is quite interesting that the fæk/fæks pronunciation is losing ground to the initialism and in the most recent year available been surpassed. Conventional wisdom would dictate it should go the other way around.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 0:49
Hi, guifa. I wouldn't read to much into any one- or two- or three-year change in frequency, especially at the near end of the chart, but I admit that I was surprised that the "F-A-Q" pronunciation appears to be doing so well in 2008 publications. At the publishers where I've worked, we often finessed the issue by restructuring sentences to avoid putting an indefinite article before the word FAQ (because inevitably we'd get letters from readers complaining that we'd gotten the article wrong).
– Sven Yargs
Aug 28 '14 at 0:54
True (especially for the British one), but there's still a very steady downward trend on fæk in AmEng, with a plateau for F-A-Q. Either way, you would think though that the initialism form would be moribund once the acronym form took over. 'Tis curious, if nothing else.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 1:04
add a comment |
1
That is quite interesting that the fæk/fæks pronunciation is losing ground to the initialism and in the most recent year available been surpassed. Conventional wisdom would dictate it should go the other way around.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 0:49
Hi, guifa. I wouldn't read to much into any one- or two- or three-year change in frequency, especially at the near end of the chart, but I admit that I was surprised that the "F-A-Q" pronunciation appears to be doing so well in 2008 publications. At the publishers where I've worked, we often finessed the issue by restructuring sentences to avoid putting an indefinite article before the word FAQ (because inevitably we'd get letters from readers complaining that we'd gotten the article wrong).
– Sven Yargs
Aug 28 '14 at 0:54
True (especially for the British one), but there's still a very steady downward trend on fæk in AmEng, with a plateau for F-A-Q. Either way, you would think though that the initialism form would be moribund once the acronym form took over. 'Tis curious, if nothing else.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 1:04
1
1
That is quite interesting that the fæk/fæks pronunciation is losing ground to the initialism and in the most recent year available been surpassed. Conventional wisdom would dictate it should go the other way around.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 0:49
That is quite interesting that the fæk/fæks pronunciation is losing ground to the initialism and in the most recent year available been surpassed. Conventional wisdom would dictate it should go the other way around.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 0:49
Hi, guifa. I wouldn't read to much into any one- or two- or three-year change in frequency, especially at the near end of the chart, but I admit that I was surprised that the "F-A-Q" pronunciation appears to be doing so well in 2008 publications. At the publishers where I've worked, we often finessed the issue by restructuring sentences to avoid putting an indefinite article before the word FAQ (because inevitably we'd get letters from readers complaining that we'd gotten the article wrong).
– Sven Yargs
Aug 28 '14 at 0:54
Hi, guifa. I wouldn't read to much into any one- or two- or three-year change in frequency, especially at the near end of the chart, but I admit that I was surprised that the "F-A-Q" pronunciation appears to be doing so well in 2008 publications. At the publishers where I've worked, we often finessed the issue by restructuring sentences to avoid putting an indefinite article before the word FAQ (because inevitably we'd get letters from readers complaining that we'd gotten the article wrong).
– Sven Yargs
Aug 28 '14 at 0:54
True (especially for the British one), but there's still a very steady downward trend on fæk in AmEng, with a plateau for F-A-Q. Either way, you would think though that the initialism form would be moribund once the acronym form took over. 'Tis curious, if nothing else.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 1:04
True (especially for the British one), but there's still a very steady downward trend on fæk in AmEng, with a plateau for F-A-Q. Either way, you would think though that the initialism form would be moribund once the acronym form took over. 'Tis curious, if nothing else.
– guifa
Aug 28 '14 at 1:04
add a comment |
In order to avoid misunderstandings I think FAQ should be pronounced as an initialism (where you keep each letter separated: Eff-Ay-Kyu) rather than as an acronym (where the letters are pronounced as a word: fack).
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
add a comment |
In order to avoid misunderstandings I think FAQ should be pronounced as an initialism (where you keep each letter separated: Eff-Ay-Kyu) rather than as an acronym (where the letters are pronounced as a word: fack).
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
add a comment |
In order to avoid misunderstandings I think FAQ should be pronounced as an initialism (where you keep each letter separated: Eff-Ay-Kyu) rather than as an acronym (where the letters are pronounced as a word: fack).
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
In order to avoid misunderstandings I think FAQ should be pronounced as an initialism (where you keep each letter separated: Eff-Ay-Kyu) rather than as an acronym (where the letters are pronounced as a word: fack).
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
edited Oct 10 '12 at 19:31
RegDwigнt♦
83.5k31282382
83.5k31282382
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
answered Jul 28 '12 at 6:34
sticksandstonessticksandstones
191
191
add a comment |
add a comment |
Definitely articulate each letter individually...Don't say "fack" or when I was younger, in my mind FAQ = "f*** u" which made me really confused. Never heard anyone say anything besides F A Q anyways.
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
Definitely articulate each letter individually...Don't say "fack" or when I was younger, in my mind FAQ = "f*** u" which made me really confused. Never heard anyone say anything besides F A Q anyways.
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
Definitely articulate each letter individually...Don't say "fack" or when I was younger, in my mind FAQ = "f*** u" which made me really confused. Never heard anyone say anything besides F A Q anyways.
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Definitely articulate each letter individually...Don't say "fack" or when I was younger, in my mind FAQ = "f*** u" which made me really confused. Never heard anyone say anything besides F A Q anyways.
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
answered 2 hours ago
Helen C.Helen C.
1
1
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Helen C. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
Generally, three letter acronyms are pronounced as individual letters. Acronyms of four letters or more are pronounced as words.
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
add a comment |
Generally, three letter acronyms are pronounced as individual letters. Acronyms of four letters or more are pronounced as words.
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
add a comment |
Generally, three letter acronyms are pronounced as individual letters. Acronyms of four letters or more are pronounced as words.
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
Generally, three letter acronyms are pronounced as individual letters. Acronyms of four letters or more are pronounced as words.
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
answered Jan 7 '13 at 2:04
John StoneJohn Stone
1
1
add a comment |
add a comment |
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10
I better not tell you how the Russians pronounce it...
– RegDwigнt♦
Oct 19 '10 at 8:47
1
@RegDwight - They pronounce it "Dark Star".
– Neil Fein
Jul 12 '11 at 2:37
"facks" is what I hear.
– Greg Lee
2 hours ago
Is there a regional thing? I suspect fak might be more common in the US, while F.A.Q is preferred in the UK.
– James Random
2 hours ago
I've always heard/spoken "eff-eh-que".
– Hot Licks
1 hour ago