How to pronounce "Mozilla"

November 26, 2004 7:27 AM

It's a word I've know for years but don't know how to pronounce because I've never had to say it out loud. [mi]

The other day I was setting up a new browser for my daughter and had to say it: Mozilla. In my head it’s always been “Mott-zilla” (a play on “Godzilla”). My daughter thought it should be without the “t” sound: “Mo-zilla” (“Mo” as in “Monty”). She is 10 so probably correct.

posted by TiredStarling to writing & language (33 answers total)

I'd say she is indeed correct.
posted by loquax at 7:43 AM on November 26, 2004

Great question, and apparently one that has no answer that I could drum up in a whole 5 minutes of looking on the internets. Moving on, the Mozilla mascot looks suspiciously like a lizard, and Godzilla is a lizard. So by analogy, I would guess "Mozilla" should rhyme with "Godzilla."
posted by zorro astor at 7:44 AM on November 26, 2004

The "Mos" in Mozilla comes from the venerable web browser Mosaic, no? So I've always pronounced it Moe-zilla.
posted by Capn at 7:47 AM on November 26, 2004

You might be right if it were a german word. I agree with her, though.
posted by Zetetics at 7:48 AM on November 26, 2004

No, I wouldn't pronounce it "Mott-zilla". See, "Godzilla" has that "t" sound because of the d before the z. If Mozilla was "Modzilla", yeah, the "t" sound would make sense. Otherwise, no. "Mo-zilla". Still rhymes with the "zilla" part of Godzilla.

All of this is very silly, too, since in the original japanese, it's "Gojira". Only the faintest of "d" sounds there :).
posted by splice at 7:51 AM on November 26, 2004

According to some, it's the correct pronunciation of "Netscape", somehow. I don't think that helps you though.
posted by loquax at 7:51 AM on November 26, 2004

What Capn said. Moe-Zilla.
posted by TTIKTDA at 7:51 AM on November 26, 2004

"Mo" like "mo' money mo' problems"
"Zilla" like Godzilla
posted by matteo at 7:57 AM on November 26, 2004

It's definitely as the Capn says.
posted by grouse at 8:01 AM on November 26, 2004

I will defer to the general consensus as I am a follower by nature. I just think Moe-zilla sounds discordant.
posted by zorro astor at 8:12 AM on November 26, 2004

Mo Nickels says it's "moe zilluh."
posted by Mo Nickels at 8:19 AM on November 26, 2004

This controversy sounds familiar... I say Mo-zilla, and Mag-neet-o.
posted by Chuckles at 8:38 AM on November 26, 2004

Mozilla = "Mosaic Killer"
posted by JeffL at 8:48 AM on November 26, 2004

I've always pronounced it maw-zilla.
posted by Jairus at 9:11 AM on November 26, 2004

I Agree with capn, and everyone I've worked with in web development has said it this way too....
posted by spaghetti at 9:27 AM on November 26, 2004

This is wrong, but sometimes I like to add a little Spanish flair to it and say moe-ZEE-yah.
posted by 4easypayments at 9:35 AM on November 26, 2004

I work with about a dozen ex-Netscape employees, some of them with employee numbers in the low double-digits. It's Moe-Zilla, at least at Netscape it was.. (I asked)

Speaking of pronunciation though, I've also heard the .qt of Linus Torvalds saying, "Hello, my name is Linus Torvalds, and I pronounce lee-noox as lee-noox." I don't care what he says, I'm not going to pronounce it lee-noox.

So call Mot-zilla whatcha like.
posted by wolftrouble at 9:38 AM on November 26, 2004

I think the best way to say it is fie-er-foks ;)
j/k, I say moe-zilla like most others here.
posted by Who_Am_I at 10:02 AM on November 26, 2004

Moe. Zilla.
posted by majick at 10:02 AM on November 26, 2004

"Firefox"
posted by b1tr0t at 10:25 AM on November 26, 2004

To back up Jairus, I say Maw-zilla as well.
posted by jazon at 10:27 AM on November 26, 2004

Based on the Air Mozilla radio show they had on for the FF1.0 release, the people at the mozilla foundation pronounce it Moe-zilla.
posted by mrgavins at 10:28 AM on November 26, 2004

Always thought of it as Moe-zilla.
posted by swank6 at 11:04 AM on November 26, 2004

What b1tr0t said.
posted by Hlewagast at 11:15 AM on November 26, 2004

Wow! "Moe-zilla" never even entered our minds. I kinda like "Moe-ZEE-ya" too.
posted by TiredStarling at 11:47 AM on November 26, 2004

Back in the olden days, there was the Moe-zayik browser, but then a hugely improved "monster browser" appeared called Moe-zilla. Is it safe to assume all these other weird pronounciations are being used by people who don't remember Mosaic?
posted by majick at 12:01 PM on November 26, 2004

I remember mosaic. I remember having to download source and compile it myself (~45 minutes on a 486, this would be about the time they were just adding support for tables.) But that's not going to keep me from saying "mojira" from now on.
posted by jfuller at 1:38 PM on November 26, 2004

After repeating the word about 50 times I'd say, Mow-Zillah :)
posted by squeak at 2:02 PM on November 26, 2004

slight tangent...
when someone says something like:
I don't often (read never) tell the truth.
is the 'read' pronounced "reed" as in the imperative you-ought-to-read-this-as sense or is it "red" as in the this-ought-to-be-read-as sense?
posted by juv3nal at 8:34 PM on November 26, 2004

I thought it was pronounced Maw-zilla too.

I'm still trying to break the habit of saying "Meetafilter" instead of "Mettafilter" and now this!
posted by Tarrama at 3:26 AM on November 27, 2004

Mozilla's Camino browser was formerly 'Chimera'. I heard some wacky pronunciation variation with that one.
posted by Prince Nez at 5:00 AM on November 27, 2004

juv3nal: It's the former.
posted by languagehat at 9:03 AM on November 27, 2004

Let's call the whole thing off!

(Sorry)
posted by kamikazegopher at 10:21 AM on November 27, 2004