How to pronounce the word "KiCAD"?

Yes, this is my first question here…
So when I’m telling all my friends and family and neighbors about this great new open-source eCAD system I just installed, how should I pronounce the word “KiCAD”?

Jack (aka “the new guy”)

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Since it originated in France, everyone I know says it like “Key CAD”.

This is perhaps the most pertinent “first questions” I’ve seen on the Forum.

And since I have never progressed beyond American English - and being superannuated as well - I’m having a terrible time training myself to NOT say “Kick CAD”.

Dale

I say Kai-Kad
Welcome to the forum Jack
I saw your pages at http://frontdoor.biz/HowToPCB/HowToPCB.html

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A bit old and rusty:
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Kicad/FAQ#What_is_the_official_name_for_KiCad_EDA.3F

I don’t know where the “Ki” from KiCad comes from, but I manage somehow to associate it with the term “Kihon”

So that is as KiCad (used to be?) a basic/fundamental ECAD tool for design PCB.

I’ve always said “KeyCad,” but a guy I met says “KaiCad.”

A thoughtful first question, I’d say.

thanks!
I didn’t know I HAD a profile, but I just found it and updated…
(To summarize, I know a lot about circuit board design, manufacture, assembly and test
and NOTHING about KiCAD)

regarding pronunciation, I will compromise and call it “Kick-A$$ KeeCAD”
(smile)

happy to be here,
Jack

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It’s good to make your acquaintance, Jack. I looked at the first few pages of your web site and found it very practical and well-done. Keep up the good work!

Dale

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Well, since Contextual Electronics pronounces it KI (like “eye”) CAD,
I predict he will influence the most new users.
(keeCAD sounds more elegant to me)

Well, I suppose it’s time to start LEARNING this tool.
See you in a month or two…!

You say Key Cad,
I say Kai Cad,
Key Cad, Kai Cad, Kai Cad, Key Cad
Let’s call the whole thing off.

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LOL.
Btw, you guys know that the pronounciation of a, i, e, etc. is different for the world over, right? :sunglasses:

To even have some common ground you would need to use pronunciation symbols…
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/about/pronunciation_english

Going by that guide for me I’d come up with:
/ˈkɪkæd/

(assembled from ‘kitty’ and ‘CAD’ on that website)

“C” is even more variable, a “k” in most pronunciation of the acronym CAD, but a “ch” in many languages

“kitty CAD” works for me!
(smile)

I swear, I keep trying to switch to “Key CAD” when I say it (as that’s “official”) but my brain will not relent. As such, Kai-CAD for me (and people that watch my videos). Sorry, y’all.

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I’m trying to reprogram my brain-mouth to say “KeeCad” as well, and it Is tough. I think one of the points of difficulty for Americans is the short ‘a’ in “CAD”. The transition from the ‘i’ to the short ‘a’ is physically a tough one. I tried it with a British style ə for the ‘a’ as well as faking a French ‘a’ (e.g., “la”) and found it physically easier. I also found the transition to a short ‘a’ is more easily managed if you stick a slight ‘y’ between the two syllables or lengthen the ‘i’. But to my ears that starts to sound a bit coarse. My GIve En Chee sunglasses and Eve Saint Low Rent sneakers agree. :slight_smile:

This is difficult to understand what you mean, I think we should start attach a record audio file with our way to say KiCAD :slight_smile:

So you are saying that for Americans it is easy to say “Karate Kid” (as the movie) but it is harder to say “Kid Karate” ?

Ka(rate)Ki(d) vs Ki(d)Ka(rate)
Ca(d)Ki() vs Ki()Ca(d)

:smiley:

The alveolar (yeah, I had to look it up) stop in the ‘d’ makes a big difference. :slight_smile:

You raise an interesting point: is the ‘i’ in “Ki” closer to a long ‘e’ in American (“key”) or a short ‘i’ (“kid”)? I was assuming the former.

Ugh! Really?!?! I don’t speak French but do speak Spanish and Esperanto and some German so I naturally assumed it was “key cad”. Someone insisted to me that it was actually “k eye cad”, I believed it and retraining my brain was hard. Now I find out I was right all along?

Does anyone else here remember the “My name is Linus Torvalds and I pronounce Linux Linux” audio clip that used to play whenever one ran the soundcard configuration utility in really old Linux distros? I think we need something like that with JP’s voice accessible through the help menu of KiCad!

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