5 exercises on pronouncing version control terms aloud.
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How is "Git" (the version control system) pronounced?
Git is pronounced "git" /ɡɪt/ — one syllable, hard /ɡ/ (as in "go"), short /ɪ/ vowel (as in "bit"), ending in /t/. So "commit with git", "a git repository." Do not use a soft g ("jit") or lengthen the vowel. Creator Linus Torvalds chose the name; in British English "git" is also an informal insult, which he found amusing.
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How is "GitHub" pronounced?
GitHub is pronounced "GIT-hub" /ˈɡɪthʌb/ — a compound of "git" (hard g, short i) and "hub" (/hʌb/, rhyming with "pub"), primary stress on "GIT." So "push it to GIT-hub", "a GIT-hub repository." Do not reverse the stress ("git-HUB") or spell it out. The "H" is pronounced; it is not "git-ub."
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How is "rebase" (a Git operation) pronounced?
rebase is pronounced "re-BASE" /rɪˈbeɪs/ — two syllables, stress on the second "BASE," following the standard English pattern for "re-" prefixed verbs (rebuild /rɪˈbɪld/, refactor /rɪˈfæktər/). So "git re-BASE main," "after you re-BASE the branch." The /eɪ/ vowel in "base" is long. Some say "REE-base" but "re-BASE" is more consistent with English verb stress patterns.
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How is "squash" (squashing commits) said aloud?
squash (as in squash commits into one) is said "squash" /skwɒʃ/ — one syllable, exactly like the English word "squash" (the vegetable, or the action of crushing). The /sk/ consonant cluster at the start, short /ɒ/ vowel, ending in /ʃ/. So "squash your commits before merging," "an interactive squash rebase." It is a plain English word used as a Git operation verb.
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How is "GitLab" pronounced?
GitLab is pronounced "GIT-lab" /ˈɡɪtlæb/ — "git" (hard g, short i) plus "lab" (/læb/, short /æ/ as in "cab"), primary stress on "GIT," following the same pattern as "GitHub." So "host the repo on GIT-lab", "a GIT-lab CI pipeline." Do not spell it out or stress the second element "LAB."