Why do people...

[apsham]

Say GameFAX and not just GameF-A-Qs, as in the three letters? Am I missing something? Is FAQ pronounced FAX?

[tenaciousg]

I pronounce it Game FAX, only because it's easier to tell your friend to check 'Game[FAX].com' instead of 'Game[F-A-Qs].com'.

[MalaCloudy Black]

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/faqs/about-faqs/

1.2) How is FAQ pronounced?

FAQ is pronounced three ways:

1. By pronouncing the letters individually: F - A - Q

2. As a word: fack

3. Obscenely: <figure it out on your own>

The first two pronunciations are the most common, and are used about

equally. Some will say F - A - Q if they are speaking with someone

that really doesn't know the Internet. Those who are lazy (me for

example) will use "fack", since it is easier to say. Often when

initiating a conversation it is useful to say F - A - Q, and then

once the subject has been established, "fack" should be sufficient.

[stokeriño]

Because people do that with lots of things. I don't read "FIFA" as "eff-ai-eff-ay". Any acronym that can be shortened and not sound completely retarded (erm, "WCW" = "wussew"?) usually is because people unsurprisingly aren't out to make their lives harder for themselves.

[Vilge Duin]

Pretty much what Cloudy posted and stok said.

It's simply easier to say. Pronouncing each syllable would grow tiring. Then again, I never talk about the place to anyone.

[IAceI]

I've never said it spokenly anyways, and if I did I would pronounce it F-A-Q because GameFAXs sounds fucking retarded.

[stokeriño]

Well if you're going to double the 's' sound with "FAXs", then sure it would.

[IAceI]

Either way, it sounds moronic.

[stokeriño]

...Because it happens to sound like another word as well?

Seriously: it has a vowel and its not arranged so that it's unpronouncable like some acronyns (ECW has a vowel, for instance, but...yeah). A 'Q' sound without an accompanying 'u' just sounds like a 'k', so saying "FAQs" to sound like 'faks' or, by proxy, 'fax' seems straightforward enough.

I'm not getting the moronic-ness (< not a word) of it, to be perfectly honest.

Edited April 17, 2008 by stokeriño

[IAceI]

Because it sounds stupid. Turning around to someone and saying "you check GameFAX, last night?".. it just sounds... stupid.

[Steeb]

Mentioning GameFAQs out loud is moronic in itself.

[stokeriño]

And turning around to someone and saying "you check Game-eff-ay-qyoos last night?" doesn't? If nothing else, for the public admission of browsing the GameFAQs forums?

Edit: Steeb knows.

To be honest, I've only ever said it out loud when my girlfriend is hogging my computer using Google to search for a Zelda walkthrough or whatever, and I have to yell something like "for the love of God, just use GameFAQs" at her.

Edited April 17, 2008 by stokeriño

[IAceI]

saying Game F-A-Q-s would be a lot less embarassing than FAX, by a long way. Mind you, neither of them should be said in person really.

[kliq]

I say GameFacks

[Steeb]

Same. I don't call NATO En Ay Tee Oh, so why would you say FAQs as Eff Ay Queue?

[alldaws1]

For the same reason you wouldn't call WWE 'wweee' or whatever. Some acronyms just sound stupid, and I'm with IAceI, FAX sounds retarded.

[apsham]

For the same reason you wouldn't call WWE 'wweee' or whatever. Some acronyms just sound stupid, and I'm with IAceI, FAX sounds retarded.

Score for non-blanket statements!

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I'm in the 'facks sounds better' camp. Maybe it's an accent thing.

[Darloboy]

Mentioning GameFAQs out loud is moronic in itself.

This.

Although I'd say F-A-Q-s if I ever did.

[K]

FAX