# How do you say "FAQ"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086 "2011-11-25T21:41:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/1 "2011-11-25T21:41:37Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=632548), I was wondering how most people pronounce “FAQ”. I say “Fack” but my husband says “F-A-Q”… so what do you say? Maybe we can figure out which is more common. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/2 "2011-11-25T21:44:45Z")
I say out the letters. But I could get behind a movement to pronounce the first 2 letters together, then Q. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/3 "2011-11-25T21:49:40Z")
I say Fack, but I’ve never seen it spelled ‘fack’. In fact, I’ve never seen it spelled at all, I guess in my head it was always spelled fact, but that doesn’t make sense now that I write it out. Either way, I pronounce it fack. Fa-Q? Hey, Fa-Q2 Buddy. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/4 "2011-11-25T21:52:25Z")
The movement has started! ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/5 "2011-11-25T22:05:25Z")
I’ve never had to pronounce it, and likely never will. ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Obvious)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/6 "2011-11-25T22:08:22Z")
In my head I pronounce it fack, but I’ve never had to say it. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/7 "2011-11-25T22:08:44Z")
I say the letters. I have never heard it pronounced like ‘fack’ or anything similar, and I’d have no idea what someone meant if they said it that way. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/8 "2011-11-25T22:09:53Z")
In my head I say “fack” but if I have to say it out loud, I pronounce the letters. I never really noticed this before I had to think about it for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![slm2955](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@slm2955](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slm2955)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/9 "2011-11-25T22:44:50Z")
Lol I say face too! ---
**Author:** ![King\_Bobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@King\_Bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Bobo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/10 "2011-11-25T23:19:06Z")
My mind’s eye always reads it as “fax”. So, I’m weird… that won’t make the six o’clock news. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/11 "2011-11-25T23:37:49Z")
Either/Or. It isn’t set in stone for me. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/12 "2011-11-25T23:43:38Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > In my head I say “fack” but if I have to say it out loud, I pronounce the letters. I never really noticed this before I had to think about it for this thread. This. ---
**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:** [November 26, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/13 "2011-11-26T00:05:19Z")
I use both interchangeably. Honestly, I have no idea which one I use more often. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/14 "2011-11-26T00:46:26Z")
In my head I hear “fack”, but whenever I have to say it to someone I just say “Frequently Asked Questions”. “Fack” sounds too much like “fag” and “fact” and “eff-ay-queue” sounds too much like “fuck you”. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/15 "2011-11-26T01:25:59Z")
The way I see it, **FAQs** contain **facts** , so I pronounce the two bolded words similarly. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/16 "2011-11-26T03:22:41Z")
> [@King\_Bobo](#): > > My mind’s eye always reads it as “fax”. > So, I’m weird… that won’t make the six o’clock news. Not weird at all, since I always assumed it was a cute synonym for “facts” (as in, facts about game X or movie Y), I’ve always said it your way. > [@Sternvogel](#): > > The way I see it, **FAQs** contain **facts** , so I pronounce the two bolded words similarly. I demand a re-polling! ---
**Author:** ![Tracyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@Tracyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracyfish)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/17 "2011-11-26T03:57:42Z")
Working in software support, we sometimes direct people to the FAQs. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone in my department refer to them as “fack” and wouldn’t have known what it meant before this thread. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/18 "2011-11-26T03:59:16Z")
Voted something else. I always hesitate for a fraction of a second while wondering how to pronounce it, then say “frequently asked question.” Always. . ---
**Author:** ![sangfroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@sangfroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sangfroid)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/19 "2011-11-26T04:33:48Z")
This is just about acronyms, right? Point being to condense down information to a shorter form? Frequently Asked Questions is “fax” (or “facks”). F-A-Qs is three syllables; facks is one. Shorter, and conveys the same information. Does anyone say R-A-D-A-R (five syllables), or O-P-E-C (four) instead of the two syllable “radar” or “OPEC”? [Here](http://www.militaryacronyms.net/) is a list of military acronyms (long…). Many likely have to be pronounced as letters because they don’t form a sensible word- e.g.-(AABNCP), but an acronym like AWACS - two syllables - works fine as a word. I’d think the shorter words, particularly the one syllable ones, would prevail over letters. Perhaps one of our current or former military Dopers can shed some light here. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086/20 "2011-11-26T04:42:49Z")
I recognize it as a symbol or object representing Frequently Asked Questions. It has no sound, it just is. It’s never worked out that I’ve said it aloud. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-faq/604086.md?page=2)