The world of Linux and its open source ecosystem of software is riddled with acronyms, initialisms, and just plain weird words. Some of them are hard to pronounce correctly without guidance, or if you’re not in the know on the word origins.
These terms are all commonly found on Linux news sites, forums, and distribution project pages. I researched their origins to be sure not only what the correct pronunciation is, but sometimes what kind of advice the developers have specifically stated. Even I was surprised by a few.
GNU and GNOME
While the GNU operating system features a wildebeest as its mascot, it isn’t pronounced like you’d normally pronounce gnu, an alternative name for that animal. According to GNU’s official pronunciation guide, GNU is a recursive acronym that stands for “GNU’s Not Unix.” The word is pronounced with a hard G, just like how GIF is correctly pronounced with a hard G. No, I won’t be taking remarks on that.
- Common Mispronunciation: New
- Correct Pronunciation: Guh-new
GNOME, the popular desktop environment for Linux and other open source operating systems, takes its name from GNU. The acronym stands for “GNU Network Object Model Environment.” For that reason, GNOME pronunciation inherits that of GNU with a hard G.
Now, the only official position of the GNOME development team I could find indicates it’s acceptable to make the G silent “if you find this pronunciation easier.” In the case of GNOME, there’s apparently some wiggle room.
- Common Mispronunciation: Nome
- (Technically) Correct Pronunciation: Guh-nome
MATE
Speaking of GNOME, the MATE desktop environment has been around since GNOME 3 showed up to replace GNOME 2. Some fans of GNOME preferred the older look that felt more akin to traditional Windows interfaces, so they created the MATE project to carry on that legacy. Just like GNOME, MATE uses a recursive acronym standing for “MATE Advanced Traditional Environment.”
At first glance, you might assume it’s pronounced as you’d normally pronounce the English word “mate”, like “late.” However, it’s not an English word. The name references a type of South American tea called yerba mate, with origins in the Quechuan languages. To keep with the theme of hot beverages, MATE is correctly pronounced like you’d pronounce “latte,” with two syllables.
- Common Mispronunciation: Mayt
- Correct Pronunciation: Mah-tay
SUSE
SUSE, most commonly seen in the distribution named openSUSE and its enterprise cousin SUSE Linux Enterprise, stands for “Software und System-Entwicklung.” It’s a German phrase meaning “Software and Systems Development,” and openSUSE has a long history as one of the oldest Linux distributions still seeing development today.
That means openSUSE and company have been getting mispronounced for a long time. The E has a tendency to lead English speakers in the wrong direction; it’s actually pronounced like an “uh” sound.
- Common Mispronunciation: Soos, soo-zee, soo-say
- Correct Pronunciation: Soo-suh
Here’s Why There Are So Many Linux Distros
Because the more the merrier.
Qt
Qt is an application development platform used widely across Linux, seen most commonly in KDE Plasma and other KDE software. It’s distinct from GTK and other frameworks that underpin the likes of GNOME.
You might understandably assume that since there are no vowels in the name, it’s pronounced like an initialism, as in “Q-T”. It’s actually pronounced as one syllable, exactly like you pronounce “cute.”
- Common Mispronunciation: Kew-tee
- Correct Pronunciation: Kewt
sudo
The ubiquitous sudo command, with its power to do whatever you’re trying to do but with root powers, has long been mispronounced.
The term sudo is short for “superuser do,” which implies that “do” should be pronounced like “dew” and not like “doe” as is commonly assumed. Since everyone needs to run commands as an administrator on Linux now and then, it’s one of the most commonly heard mispronunciations. You should keep it in your back pocket for the next time you have an opportunity to push your glasses up the bridge of your nose and correct someone.
- Common Mispronunciation: sue-doe
- Correct Pronunciation: sue-dew
10 Tech Terms You’re Saying Wrong (And How to Pronounce Them Correctly)
You’re saying it all wrong.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions of all time, and for that reason it’s seen plenty of bad attempts at pronouncing its name. All of the three instances of U in the word should be pronounced with the same “oo” sound—not with the common English word for a type of bread, “bun,” thrown in the middle.
Unlike most of the other entries on this list, its name is not an acronym or initialism. It’s an actual word, originating in African Bantu languages, and it can mean “humanity” or “I am because we are.” The founders chose it to emphasize community and togetherness, but not everyone is unified in pronouncing the word.
- Common Mispronunciation: Oo-bun-too
- Correct Pronunciation: Oo-boon-too
Xfce
For the final entry in this list, I’ll have to come clean and admit that I’d been pronouncing this one wrong for years. I assumed, because it’s typically styled in title case rather than in all-caps, that at least part of Xfce was pronounced as a single word. I was pronouncing it “ex-face,” which admittedly is an unappealing name, but it made sense to my brain.
According to Xfce’s FAQ guide, it’s actually pronounced as an initialism, with each letter in the name spelled out. This was a surprise to me. It doesn’t sound as visceral as my interpretation, though I stand by the fact it slides off the tongue better.
- Common Mispronunciation: Ex-face, ex-fiss
- Correct Pronunciation: Ex-eff-see-ee
There are probably more Linux words out there you and I are probably not quite speaking correctly. It’s a continuously evolving and expanding universe of software, and each one needs a name.