Technology can be intimidating, especially because it changes and evolves year after year. On top of that, many of the most commonly used tech terms and brand names are sometimes just flat out tough to pronounce. For instance, should you say the word GIF with a hard G sound or more of a J sound? It’s not as clear as you think. Considering that about 60% of tech terms and web content is in English, but just over 16% of the world’s population speak the language, it only further contributes to the disconnect. The No. 1 most mispronounced consumer tech term is Linux, which refers to the open-source computer operating system. The correct pronunciation is “LIN-uks," but it's often mispronounced "LYE-nuks.” Coming in at No. 2 is GIF, most mispronounced as “gif” with a hard G, while the correct pronunciation — according to the creator — is “jif” like the peanut butter. Wi-Fi is the No. 3 most mispronounced tech term in the world. While the correct pronunciation is exactly as it looks — “wi-fi” like high-fi — it’s most often mispronounced as “wi-fee” like “wifey.” Taking the No. 4 spot of mispronunciations is meme — an amusing image that’s often a parody for comic effect — which is often mispronounced as “me me,” when in reality it’s actually pronounced “meem.” Finally, coming in at No. 5 is “cache” — a component that stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. It's most often mispronounced as “cash-ay,” while the actual pronunciation is “kash."
