# sudo: pseudo or soo-doo? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714 "2002-12-10T05:11:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Joools](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6de8d8/32.png) [@Joools](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joools)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/1 "2002-12-10T05:11:47Z")
My co-workers and I are trying to figure out the correct pronunciation for the unix utility “sudo.” So far, there have been two equally compelling cases put forward: 1. It’s pronounced “soo-doo”. The sudo utility lets you run a single command as the system’s superuser (as if you had used “su” to become superuser for that one command.) So it’s “su” plus “do”. 2. It’s pronounced “pseudo.” Because that’s how it looks, and you’re running a command as a “pseudo” superuser. Does anybody know, which is it? Or is it just one of those technololgy terms that people delight in intentionally keeping vague? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/2 "2002-12-10T05:55:58Z")
I say soo-doo, because it’s letting the SuperUser DO something. This is supported by the fact that those who are allowed to use sudo are listed in the /etc/sudoers file. My information comes from man sudo. I also say this is probably an IMHO thread, unless there is a definite answer (or a really good guess ;)). ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/3 "2002-12-10T06:25:55Z")
Try a google search for “sudo pronounced.” It appears “soo-doo” is most common, but some pages claim it’s “pseudo” or even “sue-dew.” ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/4 "2002-12-10T09:14:20Z")
Never really thought about it. I always called it ‘soo-doe’ more for the fact that I thought it was ‘superuser domain’ than anything else. most of the time i have heard it as ‘soo-doe’ but never thought of the pseudo element. ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/5 "2002-12-10T11:18:24Z")
i dont really know what it is but here is a greenies viewpoint “Sudo (superuser do) allows a system administrator to give certain users (or groups of users) the ability to run some (or all) commands as root or another user while logging the commands and arguments.” my first reaction to the word what its relationship to pseudo but since it is a nomen for novanomens that wont hold ☹ ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/6 "2002-12-10T11:23:45Z")
I should really have an opinion here, shouldn’t I? But I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/7 "2002-12-10T11:48:17Z")
I always pronounce it “Soo-Doe”, but the few times I’ve actually thought about it, I’ve pronounced it “ESS-YOU-DOO”, since when I su I don’t “soo”, I “ESS-YOU”. Not that I’m authoritative on unix pronunciation. heh. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/8 "2002-12-10T14:32:34Z")
From the [horses mouth](http://www.sudo.ws/sudo/troubleshooting.html): > [@](#): > > Q) How do you pronounce `sudo’? > A) soo-doo (for superuser do). ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/9 "2002-12-10T16:56:06Z")
Naaah, I think the correct answer is “both”, because I’d be amazed if it weren’t a deliberate visual pun/double meaning with some cute recursive characteristics (you are “doing” something as a “pseudo superuser” when you use “superuser do”), rather than just a coincidence. . The compgeek world, Unix in particular, is a repository of cute naming conventions. Consider _PHP_, which stands recursively for “PHP Hypertext Precursor” (cuz if it’s a PREcursor it should come BEFORE, see?) and _bash_, the “bourne again” shell which is a modification of the bourne shell (cute, huh?), and _TWAIN_ (“technology without an interesting acronym”) and _WINE_ (Wine Is Not an Emulator), another recursive acronym. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/10 "2002-12-10T17:40:05Z")
I say pseudo. My cow-orkers say soo-doo. But then, my cow-orkers are known to call SQL “sequel,” also. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/11 "2002-12-10T18:12:12Z")
That’s “squirrel” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/12 "2002-12-10T18:56:32Z")
At least they don’t call TCL “tickle.” Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/13 "2002-12-10T19:13:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AHunter3 \* > **Consider _PHP_, which stands recursively for “PHP Hypertext Precursor” (cuz if it’s a PREcursor it should come BEFORE, see?)** Actually that’s a “cute” rename. PHP originally stood for Personal Home Page. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/14 "2002-12-10T23:31:08Z")
Soo-doo? Well, you learn something new every day. I have NEVER heard it pronounced this way. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/15 "2002-12-10T23:59:11Z")
And don’t forget GNU (pronounced “guh-noo”), which stands for GNU’s Not UNIX, when it most certainly _is_ a project to produce a very close UNIX clone. UNIX, however, is owned by AT&T (it was devloped in Bell Labs), and Stallman wanted to create a fully liberated OS and software suite. Hence, GNU’s Not UNIX. Recursive acronyms are popular in the hacker community. The HURD, Stallman’s pedantically-correct (microkernel) OS that he’s been working on since the early 90s with no real signs of big progress, stands for “HIRD of UNIX-Replacing Daemons”. HIRD, in turn, stands for “HURD of Interfaces Representing Depth.” Yep, double recursion. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/16 "2002-12-11T03:12:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > **And don’t forget GNU (pronounced “guh-noo”), which stands for GNU’s Not UNIX, when it most certainly _is_ a project to produce a very close UNIX clone.** No Gnus is good Gnus, with Gary Gnu. (I’m probably the only one who remembers that stupid show) ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudo-pseudo-or-soo-doo/141714/17 "2002-12-11T03:14:48Z")
Pseudo is subject regional variations, in Engalnd it is uaually soo-do