# How do you pronounce...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**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, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/21 "2005-03-14T13:41:59Z")

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1. (hijacking self)

I say “gov” as a word but I spell out “edu” because I don’t know how to pronounce it. Edd-you? Eh-ju? Adieu? E-d-u is unambigious and easier than having to first correct myself and then end up spelling it out anyway 🙂

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**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/22 "2005-03-14T20:44:51Z")

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> [@cluelessnoob](#):
>
> 1. (hijacking self)
> 
> I say “gov” as a word but I spell out “edu” because I don’t know how to pronounce it. Edd-you? Eh-ju? Adieu? E-d-u is unambigious and easier than having to first correct myself and then end up spelling it out anyway 🙂

Exactly. ‘Gov’ is a common sound in English, but ‘edu’ is open to far too much interpretation, pronunciation-wise.

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**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/23 "2005-03-14T21:01:56Z")

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> [@cluelessnoob](#):
>
> 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…

I also think of silence.

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**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce/294290/24 "2005-03-14T21:28:40Z")

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1. My favorite meaningless combination swear usually goes in: DmnShtFck in one quick breath.

2. ell-oh-ell. ROFL usually registers as “laughing extra hard.” ROFLMAO\* just means “I’m an idiot.”

And as for .edu and .gov, I’ll second (third?) dot-E-D-U since there’s no conventional pronunciation, but dot-gov since it’s pretty much one good way to say it.

\*Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off

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