on language May 21, 2013

Creator of GIF Still Adamant About That Soft G

“The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.” — Steve Wilhite, the creator of GIF, in an email to the New York Times.

Sources

Tags:

Show Leave a Comment

Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission.

Most Viewed Stories

Editor’s Picks

THE FEED

Key Republican Falls in Line Behind RFK Jr.

Kennedy’s HHS nomination advanced to the full Senate after Republican senator Bill Cassidy, a potential swing vote, voted in his favor.

early and often

early and often

Trump Cabinet Confirmation Hearings: Schedule & How to Watch

By Margaret Hartmann and Chas Danner

Will the Senate GOP confirm controversial picks like Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.? Here’s the hearings schedule and list of who’s been confirmed.

ICE Has Restaurant Workers Terrified

By Chris Crowley

Nobody is sure exactly what’s going on, but any threat of deportation is too grave to ignore.

Most Popular

The Trade War Comes For Temu

By John Herrman

Americans flocked to Temu and Shein. Trump’s tariffs could destroy them.

Canada Tariffs Delayed Too: Trade War Updates

Only the new China tariff is still set to start Tuesday, at least for now.

early and often

early and often

Elon Musk May Have Your Social Security Number

The billionaire and his DOGE agents were granted full access to the Treasury’s federal payments system, and nobody knows to what end.

foreign interests

foreign interests

Inside Elon Musk’s Killing of USAID

By Jonathan Guyer

Saboteurs, tears, and a last-minute push to save lives.

Relitigating 2024 Won’t Help Democrats Fight Trump Today

Democrats need to avoid making last year’s mistakes in 2028. But none of it may matter if they don’t unite to fight Trump right now.

tremendous content

tremendous content

Why Does Trump Want Greenland? His Imperialistic Threats, Explained.

By Margaret Hartmann

Some of Trumps threats to take over Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal are based on actual U.S. strategic goals. Others are just idiotic.

early and often

early and often

Democrats May Shut Down Government to Keep Trump From Gutting It

Republicans need Democratic votes to keep the government open. This is leverage Democrats could use to rein in Trump and Musk’s power grab.

confirmation bias

confirmation bias

How Democrats Lost the Dissident Vote

Even if RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard are not confirmed, they represent a problem for their old party.

just asking questions

just asking questions

‘We’ve Got an Enormous Crisis on Our Hands’

By Benjamin Hart

Public-policy expert Don Kettl discusses Trump and Musk’s blitzkrieg attack on the federal workforce and where it goes next.

The Kansas City Chiefs Are Something Worse Than Cheaters

America has had enough of this boring and swagless dynasty.

unnatural disasters

unnatural disasters

How Can a Plane Suddenly Nose-Dive?

Here are some of the reasons why aircraft can catastrophically veer toward the ground like a medevac jet did in Philadelphia on Friday night.

Trump Approval Rating Looks Fragile at Start of Second Term

The 47th president is more popular than he’s been for most of his political career. But it won’t take much to bring back bad vibes.

early and often

early and often

Democrats See Opportunity in Unpopular Trump Spending Cuts

Focusing on the concrete consequences of Donald Trump’s funding freezes, rather than abstract arguments about democracy, could be the way forward.

unnatural disasters

unnatural disasters

The D.C. Plane Crash Is No Mystery

A lot is unknown, but one basic fact is not: The helicopter pilot was clearly at fault.

early and often

early and often

Trump’s ‘Shock and Awe’ Looks More Like Chaos and Confusion

From the funding freeze to the federal-employee buyout, the White House doesn’t seem to know what its own teams are doing.

How Trump Has Already Changed the Justice Department

He immediately went into demolition mode.

the city politic

the city politic

Does New York City Even Have a Mayor Anymore?

Eric Adams has receded from view. Others are starting to fill the power vacuum.

early and often

early and often

Trump’s DEI Witch Hunt Reaches a New Low

Verbally blaming Obama, Biden, and diversity programs for a plane crash wasn’t enough: Trump repeated his baseless allegations in an executive order.

DCA Tower Staffing ‘Not Normal’ Prior to Plane Crash: Report

A preliminary FAA report says that staffing at the D.C. airport’s air-traffic control tower was “not normal for the time of day.”

we'll do it live

we'll do it live

Trump Cabinet Confirmation Hearings: Live Updates

By Intelligencer Staff

Lawmakers are set to grill Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel, three of Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees.

unnatural disasters

unnatural disasters

American Airlines Crash Ends U.S. Aviation’s Safety Streak

Just at the same time the Trump administration slashes the federal government.

d.c. plane crash

d.c. plane crash

Trump Response to Plane Crash: Blame Obama, Biden, and DEI

By Margaret Hartmann

He started with a heartfelt “NOT GOOD!!!” post on Truth Social. Things went downhill from there.