Correct plural of FAQ

Question

FAQ stands for 'Frequently asked questions', with the plural being implicit in the acronym FAQ. But it is common to see the word 'FAQs' being used, which treat the word FAQ as an object in itself, and an s being added to its end in order to pluralize it.

Which one is the correct usage for FAQ ?

Why can only one of them be correct?!? – curiousdannii Dec 31 '14 at 05:31 — curiousdannii, Dec 31 '14 at 05:31

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 18 '11 at 15:50

8

While the acronym does indeed stand for Frequently Asked Questions, in many cases, there is an implied list of (or perhaps document containing) in the acronym's usage, which is why it's treated as a singular object. For example, I could have a FAQ that covers home buying and a separate one that has questions regarding home purchasing. In this case, I might suggest that you check out the FAQs, meaning The lists of frequently asked questions.

In this case, I see nothing wrong with adding an s to pluralize the implied list (making it clear there there are multiple sets).

However, I would suggest that if you have a single list, and the s merely refers to the fact that multiple questions exist, the s is not needed.

answered Feb 18 '11 at 15:50

Dusty

18,931

Hmm... a set of FAQ entities can be called as FAQs. – Arjun J Rao Feb 19 '11 at 01:28
I suppose that the home purchasing FAQ is a bit more upscale than the home buying FAQ. (Or is it that the former is for those of Romantic inclination, and the latter for the Germanic?) – mgkrebbs Feb 19 '11 at 06:49
@mgkrebbs Ha! I intended buying/selling. Fail. – Dusty Feb 19 '11 at 07:19

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 18 '11 at 17:15

6

I disagree that FAQ always stands for Frequently Asked Questions; a single question that is frequently asked is also a frequently asked question, or FAQ. Thus, a list of such questions is a list of FAQs.

answered Feb 18 '11 at 17:15

Marthaª

32,910

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 19 '18 at 18:53

1

A FAQ is a collection of Frequently Asked Question(s) for a specific topic.

FAQs are a collection of multiple lists of FAQ.

“I looked up a Fallout4 FAQ on GameFAQs”

answered Oct 19 '18 at 18:53

Michael Simpson

11

Please add a source to support your answer. – JJJ Oct 19 '18 at 19:35

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 16 '19 at 08:42

0

IMHO "FAQs" is more natural. Consider if a page referred you to their FAQ. You (I) might think "What? Only one FAQ?". So adding the "s" makes sense to me.

Also, being pedantic, FAQ is not an acronym: It is an initialism. Acronyms are pronounceable words comprised of a set of initial letters, such as the word "laser".

G

answered Oct 16 '19 at 08:42

Greg

11

2

FAQ is pronounced "fack" in my idiolect, making it an acronym. – AndyT Oct 16 '19 at 09:04
1

@AndyT well I say eff-ay-kew, so it can be both :) – marcellothearcane Oct 16 '19 at 20:14
If we're going to be pedantic, maybe rethink "comprised of". – nnnnnn Nov 13 '19 at 10:47
There's actually a StackExchange thread partly about whether FAQ is pronounced as a word or initials (and whether to use "a FAQ" or "an FAQ") https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1016/do-you-use-a-or-an-before-acronyms-initialisms – Stuart F Nov 13 '19 at 13:41

Correct plural of FAQ

4 Answers4

Linked