G Pronunciation Rules:

is it a gif or a "j"iff ???

Daily Writing Tips aptly explains the following rules for how to pronounce the letter ‘g’:

If the g is followed by e, i, or y, the pronunciation is “soft g”:
g+i: magic, margin, origin, engine
g+e: page, generation, detergent, vengeance
g+y: astrology Egyptian gym

If the g is followed by any other letter (than e, i, y), the pronunciation is “hard g”:
gazebo
glove
gaze
go
grab
gum

So the rule for pronouncing GIF supports the use of the soft ‘g’ as in gin, engine, and giant because an ‘i’ follows the ‘g’.

There are exceptions to the rule, of course, like gift and give. Etymology informs pronunciation and creates such exceptions. So, what are the origins of GIF?

The origins of GIF come from the words it stands for: Graphics Interchange Format, which come from the inventor, Steve Wilhite, who aligned the pronunciation with the pronunciation rule.

I think I am right....yes I am right...of course, I am right...This is frustrating...

 Fuss-trate actually is frustrating for many ears, so say ‘fruhs-treyt’! 

BUT, I guess there is no rule to break an acronym. Since there is no acronym pronunciation rule to override (or even compete with) the pronunciation rule for using a soft ‘g’ when followed by an ‘i’, and since the originator of the word GIF did not declare it an exception, there isn’t any rule supporting the hard ‘g’ GIF pronunciation. Rather, all the rules point to pronouncing it jif.