What Is a GIF? Meaning, Pronunciation and How It Works

A GIF is a small image file that can hold several pictures and play them one after another in a loop, with no sound. The letters stand for Graphics Interchange Format. In everyday talk, "a GIF" usually means a short looping clip you send in a chat to react to something, but the word also names the file type behind it.

GIF meaning

GIF has two meanings that people use interchangeably:

• The file type. A file ending in .gif, like a .jpg or .png, but able to contain an animation.
• The reaction clip. A few seconds of a cartoon, a movie scene or a pet that people send instead of typing a reply. Most of these are played from GIF libraries inside chat apps and keyboards.

So when someone says "send me a GIF," they mean the clip. When a website says "upload a GIF," it means the file.

What does GIF mean in a text message?

In texting, GIF means the same thing: a short looping animation sent in the chat, usually picked from the GIF search in the keyboard or messaging app. It is not slang or an abbreviation for a phrase. People send one to react without typing, such as a cat dancing for good news or a slow clap for a joke. If a friend writes "send a GIF," they want one of those clips back. To find the GIF button on your phone, see how to get a GIF keyboard.

What is an animated GIF?

An animated GIF is a GIF file with more than one frame, so it moves. A GIF can also hold a single still picture, which is why people sometimes say "animated GIF" to be clear. On the web, an animated GIF is the simplest way to put motion on a page: it plays by itself, loops and needs no video player.

GIF pronunciation: "jif" or "gif"?

Both "jif" (like the peanut butter) and "gif" with a hard G (like "gift") are accepted in major English dictionaries. Steve Wilhite, who led the team that created the format, always said "jif." Many people say the hard G because "graphics" starts with one. Nobody will misunderstand you either way.

A short history

The GIF format was released by CompuServe, an early online service, in 1987. It was built to send pictures over slow connections, so it squeezes files without losing detail. A 1989 update, known as GIF89a, added the ability to store several frames and a delay between them, which is what made animated GIFs possible. Web browsers started looping them in the 1990s, and the reaction GIF became part of messaging once phones and keyboards added GIF search.

GIF file type: how it works

A GIF file ends in .gif. Inside it:

• Frames. An animated GIF is a stack of still images. Each frame has a short delay, often 0.05 to 0.1 seconds, which creates the motion.
• Looping. The file can tell the viewer to repeat forever, which is why GIFs loop without anyone pressing play.
• 256 colors. Each frame can use at most 256 colors. That is plenty for cartoons, text and logos, but photos and videos end up with banding or a grainy, dotted look.
• No sound. The format has no audio track. A "GIF with sound" is really a short video.
• Simple transparency. A pixel is either fully see-through or fully solid, so edges on a transparent background can look jagged.

You can see the frames inside any GIF by splitting it with the free GIF to frames tool, which saves each one as a PNG.

GIF vs video, PNG and WebP

• GIF vs video (MP4). A video can hold millions of colors and sound in a much smaller file. GIFs win on compatibility: they play almost everywhere, start instantly and loop by default. Many sites that show "GIFs" actually play short MP4 or WebP files to save data.
• GIF vs PNG and JPG. PNG and JPG are better for single still pictures. A GIF only makes sense when you need motion.
• GIF vs WebP. WebP is a newer format that supports animation with more colors and smaller files. Not every app accepts it, so a GIF is still the safe choice for sharing.

What is GIPHY, and what does GIPHY mean?

GIPHY is not a file type. It is the name of a website and app that hosts a huge searchable library of GIFs, founded in 2013. Its name plays on the word GIF. When you search for a GIF in Instagram, Facebook Messenger, iMessage or many keyboards, the results often come from GIPHY. Tenor, owned by Google, does the same job for Gboard and other Android apps.

How to get or make a GIF

• Use a ready-made one. Search in your keyboard or messaging app, or download free ones from the LeafReel GIF library, such as birthday, thank you and good morning GIFs.
• Make one from a video. Pick a few seconds of a clip with the video to GIF converter. It runs in your browser, so the video is not uploaded.
• Add words. Put a caption or a name on any GIF with add text to GIF.

To keep one you found online, see how to save a GIF on a phone or computer.

Questions

What does GIF stand for? Graphics Interchange Format.

What does GIF mean in texting? A short looping animation sent in a chat, usually as a reaction. It is not short for a phrase.

Is a GIF a picture or a video? Technically it is an image file, but it can hold many frames, so it moves like a very short silent video.

Why do GIFs look low quality? Each frame is limited to 256 colors, and many GIFs are shrunk to keep the file small. Smooth photos and gradients suffer most.

Do GIFs have sound? No. If something that looks like a GIF has sound, it is a video file.

Is it "a GIF" or "an GIF"? "A GIF," whichever way you pronounce it, because both versions start with a consonant sound.

Are GIFs free to use? The format is free to use. Each GIF's content may still belong to someone, such as a film studio or the artist who drew it, so check before using one in an advert or a product.