GIF is a digital bitmap image file format. GIF is an acronym that stands for Graphics Interchange Format. Because the format has excellent compatibility with different devices it has gained enormous popularity throughout the internet and is often used, alongside
memes, to portray humorous content.
The use of the word gif has become commonplace in language. Notwithstanding the popularity of the word, how to pronounce gif correctly is object of debate.
When the term GIF was coined, the pronunciation of GIF was meant to be
jif, to echo the American peanut butter brand, Jif. However, as the format became popularized around the world, many people began using the pronunciation of GIF as
gif, with a hard "g", like in the word "gift". Many dictionaries now carry both pronunciations, and they are both considered acceptable.
However, the original correct pronunciation of GIF is
jif.