5 exercises on pronouncing common command-line tool names aloud.
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How is "sudo" (the privilege-elevation command) pronounced?
sudo is pronounced "SOO-doo" /ˈsuːduː/ or "SOO-doh" — two syllables, stress on the first, with a long "oo" vowel. It stands for "superuser do" (or "substitute user do"). So "run it with SOO-doo", "SOO-doo apt update." Both the "-doo" and "-doh" endings are heard and accepted. Do not say "SUD-oh" with a short "u." The first syllable rhymes with "pseudo" minus the y-glide — in fact some pronounce it identically to "pseudo." Stress is always on the first syllable.
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How is "grep" pronounced?
grep is pronounced "grep" /ɡrɛp/ — one syllable, short /e/ vowel, rhyming with "step" and "prep." It comes from the ed editor command g/re/p (global / regular expression / print). So "grep the logs", "pipe it to grep." It is also used as a verb: "I grepped for the error." Do not spell it out or use a long "ee" vowel. The hard "g" /ɡ/ is as in "go," never the soft "j" sound.
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How is "chmod" (the Unix permissions command) pronounced?
chmod is most often pronounced "CH-mod" /ˈtʃmɒd/ — "ch" (as in "church") plus "mod" (rhyming with "nod"). It is short for "change mode." Some engineers spell out the start as "see-aitch-mod." So "CH-mod the file", "CH-mod 755." Both forms are understood, but "CH-mod" said as one quick word is most common. Do not say "shmod" (the "ch" is /tʃ/, not /ʃ/) or "kuh-mod." The companion command chown is usually "CH-own" /ˈtʃoʊn/ ("change owner").
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How is "vim" (the text editor) pronounced?
vim is pronounced "vim" /vɪm/ — one syllable, short /ɪ/ vowel, rhyming with "him" and "trim." It stands for "Vi IMproved" (an enhanced version of the older "vi" editor). So "open it in vim", "I use vim." Do not spell it out as letters or lengthen the vowel to "veem." Note the related editor "vi" is usually said as two letters "V-I" /viː aɪ/, but "vim" is always the single word /vɪm/.
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How is "tmux" (the terminal multiplexer) pronounced?
tmux is pronounced "T-mux" /ˌtiː ˈmʌks/ — the letter "T" followed by "mux" /mʌks/ (rhyming with "bucks"). It is short for "terminal multiplexer," and "mux" is the common short form of "multiplexer." So "start a T-mux session", "split the T-mux pane." Do not say "tuh-mux" or "timucks" as a single blended word. The "mux" part has the short /ʌ/ vowel as in "cut." Think: "T" + "mux."