[just_observing]

It's a PIN

It's not a PIN number

You can't have a Personal Identification Number Number

I get that it's what people say, but that doesn't make it right.

/rant

[DanAndersen]

"PIN number" is just a shorthand for "number that is a PIN." Never understood the pedantry on this one; when spoken (a lossy channel of communication), "PIN" is similar enough to "pin" and "pen" and "pan" that people have found the need to further disambiguate to be understood.

[labster]

If I had a nickel for every time a pedant complained to me about "PIN numbers", I'd be going to the ATM machine right now.

[sundvor]

I see what you did there. :)

The Department of Redundancy Department are hiring.

[jpatokal]

You mean "this message has been brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department, which has brought you this message", you mean.

[hueving]

>"PIN number" is just a shorthand for "number that is a PIN."

No it's not. "What is your debit PIN number" is not short for "what is your debit number that is a pin".

Nearly everyone that gets called out for it isn't really thinking about what PIN stands for and they certainly don't lamely defend it with this disambiguation excuse. The context in which people ask for someone's PIN essentially never has any accidental swap with "pen" or "pan".

"Type your pan on the keypad."

"Choose a 4-digit pen."

Please, English is bad enough, don't bury it with more bullshit.

[ygra]

People do the same thing in other languages where PIN isn't a homophone with other words (e.g. German) and not just with PIN.

[lifthrasiir]

You will never be able to say the word describing such pheonmena then, because the word in question (RAS syndrome [1]) is also its own example.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAS_syndrome

[Razengan]

While annoying to me as well (the title of this post almost seems like it was intended to invite this argument), I think it can be reconciled with by treating it as [proper noun] [noun].

As in, "PIN" is a name – not a macro that is supposed to expand to the decompressed phrase – and "number" is the kind. The name disambiguates it from others of the same kind, and the kind sometimes helps to disambiguate the name:

"Enter your number" vs. "Enter your pin" vs. "Enter your pin number"

"Go there and talk to the guy named Bob" vs. "Go there and talk to Bob"

[hueving]

If you don't like PIN numbers how do you get cash out of the automated ATM machines?

[rlayton2]

I use my personal PIN number for that one.

[BurningFrog]

At least what people say makes it the language.

[alkonaut]

You should report each occurrence of this to the DRD Department of Redundancy Department.