# How do you pronounce... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290 "2005-03-13T03:35:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cluelessnoob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@cluelessnoob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cluelessnoob)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/1 "2005-03-13T03:35:48Z")
How do you usually pronounce: 1. @%^#&@&%#! (Used to signify cussing) 2. lol What’s the first sound that comes to your mind when you see those things written online (or anywhere)? And sorry if this has been asked before… don’t have search access as a guest ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/2 "2005-03-13T03:51:29Z")
The sounds that immediately come to mind are: 1. Fricken fracken fracken… you know, like when a Warner Brothers character is cussing… 2. lol… I mean ell-oh-ell. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/3 "2005-03-13T03:57:24Z")
1. AHhhhhh GAAWWDD. AAWwwww FUUCCCKKK. JEEEEESSSSUSSS CHHHRRRRIIISSTT. GODDDDD DAAMMMIIITTTT. GOoooo TOoooo HELLLLL FUCCCCKKKKEEEERRR. I don’t like it when people use that one because it hijacks too much of my mental energy. 1. Laugh out Loud. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/4 "2005-03-13T03:59:48Z")
1. I’ve never thought about pronouncing this aloud. I usually just mentally hear muffled screaming. 2. “lol” rhymes with “goal” ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/5 "2005-03-13T04:08:57Z")
1. I just hear some random voice yelling something indecipherable. 2. Rhymes with “toll” ---
**Author:** ![Peyton\_Farquhar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Peyton\_Farquhar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peyton_Farquhar)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/6 "2005-03-13T04:13:42Z")
1. Godamotherfuckin 2. Loll This seems a good place to list a pet peeve of mine–people who, in giving me a url, say “dot E-D-U” or “dot G-O-V”, as if I wouldn’t know how to spell “edu” or gov". ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/7 "2005-03-13T04:40:05Z")
1. If it’s short (!@#$) then I hear it as “fuckin’” or “fucking!”. If it’s longer, like your example, “Goddamn motherfucking!”. 2. Low-l ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/8 "2005-03-13T04:43:32Z")
\*1. @%^#&@&%#! \* either “aaaarrrrgghhhh!” or else an appropriate obscenity or profanity depending on the context and the “character” uttering it. _2. lol_ If I see it standing alone, posted by a reputable poster, I will read it as either “ell oh ell” or “laugh out loud.” Far more often, however, when I see it posted by some raving lunatic, particularly when it appears multiple times at the end of the poster’s own perception that it has made a joke, I read it as “duh, yuk, yuk, yuk, uh, duh.” ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/9 "2005-03-13T04:47:55Z")
> [@](#): > > This seems a good place to list a pet peeve of mine–people who, in giving me a url, say “dot E-D-U” or “dot G-O-V”, as if I wouldn’t know how to spell “edu” or gov". Are you talking about spoken or written communications? If written, I can see your point. If spoken, I’m not sure why it matters: what is the “proper” pronunciation of .edu? ---
**Author:** ![Peyton\_Farquhar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Peyton\_Farquhar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peyton_Farquhar)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/10 "2005-03-13T05:13:46Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Are you talking about spoken or written communications? If written, I can see your point. If spoken, I’m not sure why it matters: what is the “proper” pronunciation of .edu? Spoken. It’s not that big a deal, it’s just that the combination of time wasted and the implied ignorance on my part add up to a “peeve”. Just say “edu”, like it’s spelled. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/11 "2005-03-13T15:13:25Z")
1. Ratsa-Fratsa! 2. Rhimes with “hall.” Reminds me of something funny that happened with my boyfriend once. When he logs on whilst drunk, he has a tendency to write “lololol” instead of “lol.” It’s very funny, and is a very good indicator of drunken chatting. I tease him about it mercilessly. My mouse broke, and I was trying to procure a new one. He asked me what ports I had on my laptop. "Let’s see, I have a USB… a round thing with one flat side… and one that says “lolol.” I said it “el oh el oh el.” He thought this was the funniest thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/12 "2005-03-13T18:28:53Z")
1. Blartheren Blatherskat 2. Elo El ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/13 "2005-03-13T20:40:58Z")
1. +1 on the Fricken-fracken-butel-rattin-poten-taten type of nonsense swearing. 2. Ell-Oh-Ell ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/14 "2005-03-13T21:03:24Z")
Depending on the level of my ire number one could be either, “G-D, Bloody H\*, S\*, F\*, D_it, FFFFFFF_ING H\*!” (This is usually said in a normal speaking tone, unhurriedly, but with feeling, often with varying length and content. I usually “cuss” to get rid of my annoyance before dealing with the problem.) or “Rassen-frassen, fricken-fracken, sassen-rahr GRAHHRR”. (Said in a louder tone, more quickly, but not a shout usually, I do this when around children, or people who are offended by cussing.) Number two is “Ell-Oh-Ell” [SUB]Actual curse words edited out due to the forum this is in. [/SUB] ---
**Author:** ![Hayden\_Sikh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58956e/32.png) [@Hayden\_Sikh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hayden_Sikh)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/15 "2005-03-13T21:20:32Z")
1. Depends on context. If I can think of a suitable cuss word that seems to be what the author was thinking and was just edited out, I plop that in place. If it meant to be a generic profanity, it’s either a low-key mumbling of “Massa Basta Rasa Freaking” or unintellible screaming, once again depending on context. 2. I generally don’t pronounce it, but rather get a mental image of someone laughing. If I’m reading a chat to someone, then I either say “Laugh out loud” or “el-oh-el”, depending on how lazy I’m feeling at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/16 "2005-03-14T05:37:29Z")
1. Rassa-frassin. 2. Ell oh ell. ---
**Author:** ![RFBluesValentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@RFBluesValentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RFBluesValentine)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/17 "2005-03-14T06:05:15Z")
1. A curse word, if I can put one in there by context, otherwise a muffled grumble. 2. Loll. possible hijack: I also read the abominations u as “uh” and ur rhyming with “were.” LOL’s cousin ROFL rhymes with “waffle.” ---
**Author:** ![cluelessnoob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@cluelessnoob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cluelessnoob)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/18 "2005-03-14T09:02:26Z")
Interesting 🙂 For #1, am I the only one who just thinks of silence (as in literally nothing, not “sy-lence”)? It also happens when I see “What is your \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_?”. I don’t think of the word “blank”, I just imagine this period of quietness, as if somebody turned on mute. Sometimes I even find myself pausing my breathing for half a second, as though that would make it even quieter… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/19 "2005-03-14T09:40:20Z")
1. A furious, sputtering Donald Duck. 2. TIE Fighter. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/20 "2005-03-14T13:17:43Z")
1. Rassin frassin 2. Laught out loud 3. [continuing hijack]I don’t pronounce “edu” as a word, I would always pronounce it E D U so I would spell it out like that to someone. I’m not treating them like an imbocile, just saying it as I read it. On the other hand, I read and say “gov” as “gov”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290.md?page=2)