29 April 2026

Spelling and calling IC part names

The idea behind this post started after one person on X asked how people pronounced the 80486 processor: 80-4-8-6 or 80-486? Then I realised that in every language it could have been different, too!

Here is the overview on how we call(ed) few of most common electronic parts in Italian language.

Let's start with processors.

Z80: Z-80

MC68000: M-C-68000 

8080: 80-80 (eighty-eighty)

8088: 80-88 

80286: 80-2-8-6 (eighty-two-eight-six)

80386: 80-3-8-6

80486: 80-4-8-6

Architectures: 

x86: x-86

x64: x-64

Other parts: 

80C256: 80-C-256 

555: 5-5-5

1N4148: 1-N-4-1-4-8 or 1-N-41-48

1N4001: 1-N-4001 

I haven't used CMOS logic ICs so I don't know how they were called.