Nominees Announced April 2nd
Honoring the Best
of the Internet
That Settles It November 12, 2014

It’s Pronounced ‘Jif’ Not ‘Gif’

May 21, 2013—a day that will go down in infamy as when one of the greatest debates webkind has ever faced was finally put to rest.
A debate for the ages.

Steve Wilhite was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at The 17th Annual Webbys for his invention of the GIF, a file format that has transcended its humble dial-up origins to become one of the most enduring visual media of our times. For his 5-Word Speech he chose to school us all on how to properly pronounce his invention. As he told The New York Times, “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.”

And what a pleasure it was helping Steve rile up the Internet that week. Hot takes were doled out across the board. Even JIF peanut butter weighed in on the debate. But as we see it, you can’t look a ‘jif’ horse in the mouth. Steve Wilhite ended the “most absurd religious war in geek history” with one last glorious battle cry. Sorry Mr. President, you are mistaken.

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