Reading Variable and Function Names Aloud
Learn how to say camelCase, snake_case, kebab-case, and PascalCase names in spoken English. Build the confidence to read any identifier aloud in a meeting, code review, or interview.
The one rule that covers all naming conventions
- Every naming convention uses separators to show word boundaries: capital letters (camelCase, PascalCase), underscores (snake_case), or hyphens (kebab-case)
- When speaking, all separators disappear — you say the plain English words with natural rhythm
getUserById,get_user_by_id, andget-user-by-idall sound the same: "get user by id"- Acronyms (HTTP, JSON, SQL) are kept as spoken acronyms, not expanded letter by letter
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How do you say the function name
getUserById aloud in English?camelCase → read each word separately
"get user by id" (four words, natural speech rhythm)
Tips for reading camelCase aloud:
getUserById is written in camelCase (also called lower camelCase). The convention is that each capital letter marks the start of a new word. You simply read the words as if the capitals were spaces:"get user by id" (four words, natural speech rhythm)
Tips for reading camelCase aloud:
- Find the capital letters — each marks a word boundary
- Read each word at normal speed: get — user — by — id
- In fast speech, you can run them together slightly: "get-user-by-id"
handleSubmit→ "handle submit"calculateTotalPrice→ "calculate total price"isAuthenticated→ "is authenticated"fetchUserProfile→ "fetch user profile"
Naming Convention Reference
A quick guide to the four main coding naming conventions and how to say them.
| Convention | Example | Say aloud | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| camelCase | getUserById | "get user by id" | JS/TS variables and functions |
| PascalCase | UserAuthService | "user auth service" | Classes, React components, types |
| snake_case | parse_json_response | "parse JSON response" | Python functions, database columns |
| SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE | MAX_RETRY_COUNT | "max retry count" | Constants in most languages |
| kebab-case | on-click-handler | "on click handler" | CSS classes, HTML attributes, URLs |
Common acronyms in identifiers
Http / HTTP "H-T-T-P" Json / JSON "JAY-son" Api / API "A-P-I" Sql / SQL "sequel" or "S-Q-L" Url / URL "U-R-L" Db / DB "D-B" or "database" Xml / XML "X-M-L" Css / CSS "C-S-S" Useful phrases for code review
- "This function is called get user by id..."
- "The constant max retry count is set to three."
- "I renamed the class to file upload controller."
- "The CSS class border bottom color overrides the default."
- "Can we discuss the on click handler in the PR?"