Do people really pronounce URL as "earl"

[PSXer]

damn kids these days

[Der Trihs]

It has another pronunciation?




I'm a kid past 40, apparently...

[OpalCat]

u-r-l here

[runner pat]

U-R-L here.

O-I-L is pronounced "earl". :D

[ultrafilter]

Yes, that was the common pronunciation at the large internet company I used to work for.

[Manduck]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.

[GuanoLad]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.And pronounce Linux like "Lye-nix".

[AClockworkMelon]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.I pronounce it giff. Is that wrong? :P

[thirdname]

My friend says yurl.

[qpw3141]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.And pronounce Linux like "Lye-nix".

I pronounce it 'Lye-nux' because it is derived from the name 'Linus' and I've never heard that pronounced other than 'Lye-nus'.

Some people, I know, pronounce it 'Lin' (rhymes with spin) 'us'.

I always say U R L.

[Eliahna]

-sniff-
Sorry, I came over all nostalgic. I haven't heard anyone call it an "Earl" since 1999. So quaint.

[GuanoLad]

I pronounce it 'Lye-nux' because it is derived from the name 'Linus' and I've never heard that pronounced other than 'Lye-nus'.The thing is, Linus Torvalds himself pronounces it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKkvPxYNh9A) like "Linnix".

[qpw3141]

I pronounce it 'Lye-nux' because it is derived from the name 'Linus' and I've never heard that pronounced other than 'Lye-nus'.The thing is, Linus Torvalds himself pronounces it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKkvPxYNh9A) like "Linnix".

I'll graciously allow him to continue to pronounce it like that if he wishes. ;)

[BorgHunter]

My grandparents do that. They also refer to the courier UPS as "ups", as in the opposite of "downs".

[Terra1041]

My mom used to say "Earl" for "URL".

I think I'm unusual in that I always insist on spelling out A-S-C-I-I by letter. I never liked the sound of "ass-key".

[Al Bundy]

Oh no, that's Uncle Ed's Oil Change. I have to keep these all separate.

[thelurkinghorror]

And pronounce Linux like "Lye-nix".

I pronounce it 'Lye-nux' because it is derived from the name 'Linus' and I've never heard that pronounced other than 'Lye-nus'.

Some people, I know, pronounce it 'Lin' (rhymes with spin) 'us'.

I always say U R L.

His name isn't the same as the Peanuts character, his name is Swedish; the "i" is pronounced something like "ee," not "eye."

[pulykamell]

I think I'm unusual in that I always insist on spelling out A-S-C-I-I by letter. I never liked the sound of "ass-key".

You are. I have never heard it as anything but "asskey," and spelling it out like you do would confuse me momentarily, if I do indeed figure it out.

[ZipperJJ]

My business partner does this (we're in the Web business). I dunno where he picked it up - I've never ever done it myself.

[US Bureau of Labor Statistics]

I spell it out, "you are ell" but my 8th grade computers teacher (an older black lady from the south) said "earl." I have never heard anybody else ever say it like "earl".

[Infovore]

I've been saying "earl" since the Web started. I think it sounds weird when people spell it out.

[Patty O'Furniture]

EARL? I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that.

I work for the city's IT service provider and I'm pretty sure I've never heard anyone there say EARL. But most are web developers or other sorts of IT engineers and tend to say "address" or "site name" when talking about a URL.

Come to think of it, I don't say URL much at all because it's kind of awkward on the tongue. I just say "What's the address"?

[NoiseBomb]

Come to think of it, I don't say URL much at all because it's kind of awkward on the tongue. I just say "What's the address"?

Now that I think of it, I do that too. I don't think I've used "you are ell" regularly since the mid/late 90s.

[Manduck]

I once had a physics professor who pronounced the name of Jupiter's moon Io as "eye-zero". He was not an astronomer.

[gladtobeblazed]

I say "you are ell". Why wouldn't you? I mean, you don't pronounce USA as "ooh-suh" do you?

[Clothahump]

Do people really pronounce URL as "earl"


Wow - that would be kinda....weird.

[pulykamell]

I say "you are ell". Why wouldn't you? I mean, you don't pronounce USA as "ooh-suh" do you?

I'm not buying your analogy. You say PIN, CAT scan, SCSI ("scuzzy"), SQL is often "sequel," etc. Why not "earl" for "URL"? I don't say it this way, but it's perfectly sensible.

[gladtobeblazed]

I say "you are ell". Why wouldn't you? I mean, you don't pronounce USA as "ooh-suh" do you?

I'm not buying your analogy. You say PIN, CAT scan, SCSI ("scuzzy"), SQL is often "sequel," etc. Why not "earl" for "URL"? I don't say it this way, but it's perfectly sensible.

I say "pin" and "cat scan" because people would look at me like I'm crazy if I pronounced out the letters. Which is the way I would like at someone who pronounces URL as "earl" :)

Okay, it was bad analogy, I admit. Still, it begs the question: why are some acronyms pronounced as a word, while others are pronounced as letters?

[pulykamell]

Okay, it was bad analogy, I admit. Still, it begs the question: why are some acronyms pronounced as a word, while others are pronounced as letters?

To be pedantic, by definition, all acronyms are pronounced as words. If it's not pronounced as a word, it's an initialism.

[friedo]

These are the same people who think SQL is pronounced "sequel."


I think I'm unusual in that I always insist on spelling out A-S-C-I-I by letter. I never liked the sound of "ass-key".

Now that's just going too far.

[DiosaBellissima]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.

All of my computer techy friends make fun of me when I say gee-eye-eff (spelling it out). They snort, then say, "Um you mean JIFF."

Uh, that sounds dumb as fuck to me.

And earl? EARL? Who does that? So weird.

[pulykamell]

And earl? EARL? Who does that? So weird.

Seems like Cecil does. The Weird Earl's section of the Straight Dope is a pun on "weird URLs."

[BigT]

If it were supposed to be pronounced as letters, it would have periods. If a group of capital letters can be pronounced as a word, it should be. I'm having a hard time thinking of an exception.

There is one that seems like an exception, but it isn't: I don't say "sequel" for SQL. I'm fine with pronouncing acronyms as words (if they can be pronounced), but not cheating by adding in sounds that are completely nonexistent. None of the letters indicated contain or can make an [i] sound. "Squell" would be okay, but since that is not an accepted pronunciation, I stick with treating the acronym like an initialism, and pronounce it "ess-cue-ell."

And I don't get people saying jiff. That would be JIF. There are a lot of words that do not soften the G before I, so why soften the G and create ambiguity?

Also, Linux has a short I, because the Linus who created it pronounces his I with a short I.

Finally, I will not judge those of you who say you-are-ell, but I still think you should spell it U.R.L. if you're going to do that, just like U.S.A. And definitely never write it in lowercase.

[KidScruffy]

If it were supposed to be pronounced as letters, it would have periods. If a group of capital letters can be pronounced as a word, it should be. I'm having a hard time thinking of an exception.

So in casual speech, to determine if something should be pronounced as a word or individual letters, we have to first determine whether or not we would use periods if we were writing it? And if we decide we wouldn't use periods, we next have to determine if it can be pronounced as a word?

The first step seems too time consuming for casual conversations, and the second step is clearly subjective. If I determine at step one that I don't use periods for USA, then if one person in the world believes that can be pronounced as a word, do I too have to pronounce it "oo-sah"? Or only if 51% of the world believes it can be pronounced as a word do I have to follow suit?

For the record, I pronounce it U-R-L, and I've not once heard it pronounced earl, so I hadn't really given it much thought.

[Lobsang]

It used to bug me when people said "scuzzy". (SCSI)

[descamisado]

Yeah, but I loved the sound of the pronounciation of WYSIWYG.

[Lobsang]

("wizzywig")

:D

[squeegee]

I work for a well known Silicon Valley software developer. I hear "you are el" most often, "earl" less often, and "yurl" occasionally. Similarly, "guid" == "goo id" but also "gwid".

[Markxxx]

I have never once heard anyone call it "earl"

I always call the UPS drive the "ups man" though :)

[Runs With Scissors]

And earl? EARL? Who does that? So weird.

Seems like Cecil does. The Weird Earl's section of the Straight Dope is a pun on "weird URLs."

I really hope I'm not the only one who didn't know that until now.

I have a friend who pronounced wi-fi as "wee fee." At first I thought he was just being funny, but he says everyone he knows pronounces it like that. Makes me want to put my fist through the wall.

[SkeptiJess]

I say 'earl.' I've always said 'earl,' ever since the internet first came to my attention.

[PSXer]

jiff is peanut butter

gif is an image

[Ignatz]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.I pronounce it giff. Is that wrong? :P

Ask Elbridge Gerry, VPOTUS under Madison who hashad it bastardized into jerrymander.

(alumnus of the Elbridge Gerry Elementary School)

[hogarth]

I say "earl" and "jiff" and "jay peg", but I usually say "ess cue ell".

[carnivorousplant]

Uh, that sounds dumb as fuck to me.



"mow dumb" sounds DAF to me. It stands for "Modulate/demodulate" and we don't say "Mowedulate Demowedulate." =)

I say "You Are El." and when my users stare at me blankly, continue, "Web address." :)

[Labrador Deceiver]

Also, Linux has a short I, because the Linus who created it pronounces his I with a short I.

.

No he doesn't. His name is pronounced closer to Lee-nus or Lee-Noos. He pronounces Linux with a short i, as Len-ux.

[gallows fodder]

FAQ is still pronounced "fack," right? (Oh dear.)

[PSXer]

FAQ is eff ay que

GameFAQs is game facks

[Clothahump]

It used to bug me when people said "scuzzy". (SCSI)

Considering that the folks who came up with the protocol wanted it pronounced "sexy"...

[si_blakely]

And don't forget dubdubdub (www)

Si

[Red Barchetta]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.

You mean the way the creators said it was pronounced? :dubious:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_Interchange_Format#Pronunciation

[wolf-alice]

My brother in law pronounces it wee-fee, Runs With Scissors. I'ma punch him in the head! (NB: Might be a cumulative response there)

People take the piss out of me for saying "dub dub dub"* for "double-you double-you double-you", but it makes sense! Otherwise the abbreviation is feeking well longer.

* "You're one of those people who redundantly pronounces websites with the www prefix like it's 1992, aren't you. Get off my internet", you say? Aha! Not so. It comes up a lot in web development, quite legitimately, when you're discussing DNS and propagation issues and why the hell can't I see my website yet, you cowboy. Et cetera. Really.

Ciggy-bin. That's one I like. I'm pretty indifferent on url / U.R.L (It would be "url", with a "urrrr", round here. "Earl" would be a totally different pronunciation)

[GuanoLad]

People take the piss out of me for saying "dub dub dub"* for "double-you double-you double-you", but it makes sense! Otherwise the abbreviation is feeking well longer.Try "Six-U" instead.

[Arrendajo]

Out here on the left coast I've never heard it pronounced "earl." But honestly I don't how often I hear it said, regardless.

[Omar Little]

You are el

[goldmund]

His name isn't the same as the Peanuts character, his name is Swedish; the "i" is pronounced something like "ee," not "eye."

Linus Torvalds is Finnish.

[Manduck]

They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff.

You mean the way the creators said it was pronounced? :dubious:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_Interchange_Format#Pronunciation

They probably said "earl" too :p

[thelurkinghorror]

His name isn't the same as the Peanuts character, his name is Swedish; the "i" is pronounced something like "ee," not "eye."

Linus Torvalds is Finnish.

Yes, but his first language and cultural background are Swedish, just like over 5% of the population of Finland and including individuals such as CGE Mannerheim and Jean Sibelius. I don't know what the Finnish equivalent of "Linus" is, but I'm going to guess it has a couple of extra vowels.

[Manduck]

I think the pronunciation of Linux was also influenced by Minux or Minix or whatever that earlier flavour of Unix for microcomputers was called.

[Manduck]

BTW the wikipedia article on Linux has a sound file of Linus Torvalds pronouncing Linux.

[Runs With Scissors]

And don't forget dubdubdub (www)

Si

I like "double u, double double u."

:)

[Max the Immortal]

I've only heard one person pronounce it "earl", once, and I made fun of him for it.

[Colophon]

"Jif"? I've only ever heard it pronounced "Gif", with a hard G.

[BwanaBob]

I'm stunned at the amount of you people who spell out URL. It's human nature to pronounce acronyms as words if they're readily pronounceable. Others have pointed out terms like PIN and SCSI. I've worked as a developer on both coasts (for 25+ years) and have heard both earl and U-R-L since the early '90s.

I also pronounce GIF as "jiff" since that was intention of its creators. I've also taken several courses in SQL and the various instructors all said "sequel" rather than S-Q-L.

[redtail23]

Generally I say U R L. If I were to make a word of it, it would probably be "yurl" rather than "earl". I've never heard "earl".

Never heard "dubdubdub" either. But I may have to start saying "triple double u" just to be annoying. Although I don't really say that much anymore, it's just assumed for most people.

I use both S Q L and "sequel", and sometimes "squeal".

I prefer "gif" but will use "jif" if I have to, to avoid confusing others.

I also say "ups" rather than U P S sometimes.

It's definitely "asskey"*, I've never heard anyone spell it out unless they had no idea what they were talking about.

I don't usually say "ooh-sah", but I do sometimes say "ooh-sanians".

"Wee fee" is just silly. Hi-fi, sci-fi, wi-fi - all pronounced "eye".

*And thank you for that mental image. No, really, I'd never thought of it that way. And now I always will.

[Serenata67]

u-r-l here

Same here. I vocally spell it out...

[TriPolar]

It's 'you are ell'. And it's important because there is also a 'you are eye'. I may call the delivery service 'ups' for fun, but everybody knows it's 'you pea ess', like the type pf power supply, as well as the news service 'you pea eye'. Three letter initializations starting with a vowel should be pronounced letter by letter unless they spell a common word. Three letters with a vowel in the middle should be pronounced as word, unless it sounds stupid. More than three letters should be turned into a word if possible. But sometimes nothing works, like with 'aitch tee em ell'.
Why? Because that's what I want it to be I guess. Oh yeah, and the people who actually know what those things mean should have the say-so.

[kim_jung_il]

With our strong "R"s, us Scots say "Earl" as "Errol"

[multimediac17]

If you asked me to make URL into a word, it wouldn't be "earl", I don't know if that's my accent or what. I'd say something like "yoouurrl".

[Red Barchetta]

They probably said "earl" too :p

Not I. Perhaps I'm an exception?

[WOOKINPANUB]

Can I throw instant messaging into the fire(literally and figuratively)? My numpty co-worker, whose inability to say almost anything correctly is legendary, pronounces it as "I'ming". It's not something I have occasion to say out lout but in my head I would think "send me an IM" or "I'll IM you". So, before I add this to the list of idiotic things that come out of her mouth, I need to know how it's supposed to be said.

Also, I've never heard of "Earl" for URL but I'm going to start using it because I think it's kind of cute.

[EristicKallistic]

I did not, until this thread, understand who or what "Weird Earl" was. Ignorance fought!

I am in the "spell it out" camp for URL, but I have a co-worker who says "yurl" which always bugs me.