# Do people really pronounce URL as "earl" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 21, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952 "2010-08-21T05:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/1 "2010-08-21T05:05:00Z")
damn kids these days ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/2 "2010-08-21T05:07:12Z")
It has another pronunciation? I’m a kid past 40, apparently… ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/3 "2010-08-21T05:09:37Z")
u-r-l here ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/4 "2010-08-21T05:30:43Z")
U-R-L here. O-I-L is pronounced “earl”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/5 "2010-08-21T06:24:24Z")
Yes, that was the common pronunciation at the large internet company I used to work for. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/6 "2010-08-21T07:40:15Z")
They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/7 "2010-08-21T09:11:25Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff. And pronounce Linux like “Lye-nix”. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/8 "2010-08-21T09:14:10Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > They are the same people who pronounce GIF like jiff. I pronounce it giff. Is that wrong? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/9 "2010-08-21T09:34:43Z")
My friend says yurl. ---
**Author:** ![qpw3141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6bbea6/32.png) [@qpw3141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qpw3141)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/10 "2010-08-21T11:12:18Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > > [@Manduck](#): > > > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/11 "2010-08-21T11:12:48Z")
-sniff- Sorry, I came over all nostalgic. I haven’t heard anyone call it an “Earl” since 1999. So quaint. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/12 "2010-08-21T11:56:17Z")
> [@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”. ---
**Author:** ![qpw3141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6bbea6/32.png) [@qpw3141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qpw3141)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/13 "2010-08-21T12:09:05Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > > [@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. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/14 "2010-08-21T14:40:14Z")
My grandparents do that. They also refer to the courier UPS as “ups”, as in the opposite of “downs”. ---
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/15 "2010-08-21T19:48:21Z")
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”. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/16 "2010-08-21T21:08:36Z")
Oh no, that’s Uncle Ed’s Oil Change. I have to keep these all separate. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/17 "2010-08-21T21:34:46Z")
> [@qpw3141](#): > > > [@GuanoLad](#): > > > > 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.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/18 "2010-08-21T22:00:44Z")
> [@Terra1041](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/19 "2010-08-21T22:20:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![US\_Bureau\_of\_Labor\_Statistics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c2a13f/32.png) [@US\_Bureau\_of\_Labor\_Statistics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_Bureau_of_Labor_Statistics)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952/20 "2010-08-21T23:25:40Z")
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”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-pronounce-url-as-earl/550952.md?page=2)