FAQ
noun/ˌɛf.eɪ̯ˈkjuː/ · /fæk/
Etymology Initialism of frequently asked questions.
1
Internet A list of questions said to be frequently asked, and their answers.
- This site's FAQ says you should log in to access some pages.
- The most obvious difficulty with an FAQ page is being able to identify the right questions. Government can struggle to identify the real problems people encounter when using its services.2021 June 22, “Infrequently asked questions about FAQ pages”, in Australian Government Style Manual:
2 more examples
- For example, the FAQ page comments that ‘the term “incel” is an abbreviated version and sniglonym of the term “involuntary celibacy,” whose usage reaches back at least to the 18th century.”’ The term ‘sniglonym’ is itself an example of deploying verbose language. The word refers to a term whose date of coinage postdates the pre-existing concept or object it defines.2023 January 23, Meg Roser, Charlotte Chalker and Tim Squirrell, “Spitting out the blackpill: Evaluating how incels present themselves in their own words on the incel Wiki”, in Institute for Strategic Dialogue, page 10:
- The internal communications also show Palantir leadership preparing for a potential backlash from employees or outsiders, with them writing FAQs that can be sent to friends or family that start to ask about Palantir’s work with ICE. […] In the leaked Slack messages, Jain said that Palantir was working to include updates about this work into an FAQ with the company’s PCL, or Privacy and Civil Liberties team.2025 April 17, Joseph Cox, “Leaked: Palantir’s Plan to Help ICE Deport People”, in 404 Media, archived from the original on 17 Apr 2025:
2
Video games A document that details how to play and win a video game; a strategy guide.
- Related terms
- RTFM