GIF Founder: It's Pronounced "Jif," End of Story
Hard-g pronunciation far more popular
Along with whether or not Al Gore invented the Internet, figuring out the correct pronunciation of GIF is one of the earliest questions of the Internet. I grew up believing it was hard-G GIF. Most people I know pronounce it like that too. Even the White House agreed on pronouncing GIF like 'gift'. But we have to re-evaluate the whole argument again because the inventor of GIF—PAPA GIF Steve Wilhite—says its pronounced JIF. What. The. Hell.
Steve Wilhite, who is accepting a lifetime achievement award at The Webby Awards, told the NY Times how annoyed he was at the debate over the pronunciation of GIF