Jif and Giphy Just Came Up With the Best Gif Meme GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Social Media
Jif and Giphy Just Came Up With the Best Gif Meme
How do you say "Gif?"
By Rob LeFebvre Rob LeFebvre Associate Editorial Director, News UCLA California State University, Northridge Rob LeFebvre is the Associate Editorial Director, News for Lifewire. He has been a technology writer for more than 12 years with articles appearing in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 25, 2020 03:18PM EST Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Social Media Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Why This Matters
It really doesn't "matter," in the scheme of things, but to see a peanut butter company and an animated images company (with a name based on the format, GIF) come together to gently make fun of the soft-G pronunciation of GIF is pretty darn fun. Who doesn't need a little fun these days? Jif / Giphy / Amazon There's a bit of a history to understand before you can fully appreciate the image above. The file type, GIF, stands for Graphics Interchange Format. It's a compression algorithm that has been popularly used for animated images on the internet. If you've ever called a Gif a 'Jif,' we forgive you. What's the big deal: Pronouncing the three letters has become a bit of an internet sensation, however, as most people use a hard-G sound, as in Graphics, Gurgle, or Grass. Steve Wilhite, the guy that came up with the format, however, famously told the New York Times that it should be pronounced with a soft-G, as in Giraffe, Giant, or Geography. “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations,” Mr. Wilhite told the Times. “They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.” The response: The internet has gone wild over this in the years since, with folks famous and not (Jimmy Fallon, anyone?) weighing in. Our own Editor In Chief, Lance Ulanoff, created a poll on Twitter to see how people pronounce the "word." Both polls overwhelmingly fall in favor of the hard-G. Where things stand right now: Now peanut butter maker Jif and animated images database Giphy have put together a fun little image that pokes fun at the whole thing. "If you've ever called a Gif a "Jif," the (presumably fake) jar says, "We forgive you." The bottom line: Does this really matter? Probably not. But the image took the internet by storm, re-igniting the "Gif or Jif" psuedo-controversy. That in itself is indeed a ton of fun. Become an Expert on Memes
What Is a Meme? Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Is a GIF? How to Tweet a GIF on Twitter How to Post GIFs on Facebook What Is a Meme? How to Reduce GIF File Size for Better Website Performance How to Send GIFs on Android How to Make a GIF in Photoshop The 11 Best Free GIF Makers of 2022 How to Send GIFs on iPhone How to Save GIFs on an iPhone How to Use GIPHY in Slack How to Insert a GIF Into Google Slides How to Email a GIF EPRT File (What It Is and How to Open One) 10 of the Top Current Trends on the Internet 9 Best Free Image Converter Software Programs Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies