nginx (“engine x”) is an HTTP web server, reverse proxy, content cache, load balancer, TCP/UDP proxy server, and mail proxy server. […] [1]
I still pronounce it as “n-jinx” in my head.
References
- Title (website): “nginx”. Publisher: NGINX. Accessed: 2025-02-26T23:25Z. URI: https://nginx.org/en/.
- §“nginx”. ¶1.
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And I will always pronounce SQL as “squeal”
My brain first interpreted SQL as ‘squirrel’ and that now refuses to relinquish its claim as default pronunciation in my mind.
I still say it this way in my head…
That’s great actually!
Make me
I’ve never heard it pronounced any other way than “engine x”.
I’ve never heard it pronounced. Which is why I also thought it was “n-jinx”
When I first encountered it, it was by hearing it. It took longer than it probably should have to recognize that when people talked about “engine x”, they meant “in-jinks”
I heard it spoken first as well, but I ended up seeing it in text form not long after. I think it would have been more confusing if that hadn’t been the era of internet companies thinking they were clever if they dropped a letter (usually a vowel).
I thought it was pronounced N-G-N-X
Where did the I go?
To be or not to be, that is the question
Where did I come from?
NGNX, the other tetragrammaton.
Although I’m Jewish, so I should probably write it N-NX.
Ha! There’s probably some other layer of theology there when you consider that that G stands for “Gine” pronounced like “Djinn.”
I’m OOTL.
That is the protagonist from the (IMHO excellent) movie Equilibrium. He describes himself as a “tetragrammaton cleric.” Prior to your comment, I didn’t know the first word had any actual real world meaning, so that’s where my mind went when I saw you use it. (Apologies if this is disrespectful to the intent of the word.)
As an interesting side note, supposedly that movie is what got Christian Bale cast as Batman.
Sounds cool, will add to the watch list.
(Apologies if this is disrespectful to the intent of the word.)
I’m hella atheist, for the record, so no worries. Any actual Jewish practice was a few mothers ago, but mentioning it added both humour and another hint for people who know the concept but not the word.
As always, first impressions count. There is no way I’m starting to call it engine x now, except for fun.
I’ve done a semi-exception in the case of Xitter. I like this new name Elon chose because it brings the possiblity of playful sounds. Same goes to Xitler.
In Chinese, “X” makes a “sh” sound.
Take from that what you will.
That’s the point…
Not everyone knows that though.
I always pronounced it engine-x (fluent as one word) but never thought of it meaning engine lol
n gin x -> en gin ex -> “enginex” spoken, nginx thought
Putting the gin in Nginx.
If you want people to pronounce your project name correctly you should spell it that way. Having a FAQ on pronunciation means you’ve messed up and lost already. Want it to be called “Engine X”? Call it “Engine X”.
My favourite is SAP not wanting people to call it Sap but to spell it out S.A.P. Well sorry, but it’s a CVC word, literally the first kind of word everyone learns.
And is even worse sign if you need a document to describe how to pronounce its name. It is a sign you should pick another name.
btrfs -> butterface
I can’t read no, I can’t read my butterface~
Thank you, i will call it that from now on
hnn-geenks
Saying nginx with a “hard g” can get you into some real trouble…
Is that rap slang if you’re referring to a lady? 😬🫣
And GIF is pronounced GIF
They can pry my /ɡɪf/ from my cold dead hands.
/dʒɪf/ heretics can burn
PNG is pronounced “PING!”
P- iNG
The fuck?!
Lo and behold,
P[i]NG
Pi
careful there buddy
suddenly it all makes sense.
I really dislike the trend of made up pronunciations. I can accept that gnome is with an audible g since that makes more sense than a silent g, but nginx can be at best similar to engine-x, but even then it’s more like the n in dnd rather than en.
Does this mean when you go into an airport bathroom and see the hand dryer, you know it’s called an XLerator (ex-LAIReighter)?
My workplace calls it “n-jinx”, we know its nonstandard but its still what is understood by the team.
I’ve always pronounced it “not-Apache”
