What Are Pronouns and Why Are They Important?

Pronouns are the words a person uses to refer to themselves in place of their name — for example she/her, he/him, or they/them. Using someone's correct pronouns is a basic form of respect, and it matters because guessing wrong can misgender or offend someone even when no harm was intended. PronounDB is a browser extension built around this idea: it lets people share their pronouns so others can use the right ones without having to ask, and it shows you the pronouns of people you interact with online.

Why getting pronouns right is worth the effort

People often assume someone's pronouns from their name, appearance, or voice. Those assumptions are frequently wrong, and a mistake — especially a repeated one — can make a person feel unseen or unwelcome. The practical fix is simple: don't assume, and make correct pronouns easy to find.

PronounDB's own framing puts it plainly: keeping track of everyone's pronouns can be complicated, and unfortunate mistakes can happen. Its goal is to remove that friction so pronouns are available "as if they were always there."

If you're new to the topic, the site points readers to a Pronouns 101 guide for background on what pronouns are and how to use them.

How PronounDB approaches the problem

PronounDB works as a two-way tool:

• Sharing your pronouns — you set your pronouns once, and they become visible to others who use the extension.
• Seeing others' pronouns — when you're talking with someone who shares their pronouns through PronounDB, you can see them without asking.

The extension is designed to blend into the sites you already use, matching each site's design language and placing pronouns in sensible spots rather than as a separate overlay. According to the site, more than 29,100 people are already sharing their pronouns through it.

Where you can use it

PronounDB is available as a browser extension for three browsers, and it integrates with a set of supported platforms.

Supported platforms listed on the site include Twitch, Twitter, and GitHub, with more available through a full supported-platforms list. The site notes that previews aren't available for every listed platform, so the best way to confirm how it looks on a specific site is to check the supported platforms page.

What to do next

1. Decide whether you want to share your own pronouns. If yes, the extension is the mechanism for doing that.
2. Install it for your browser — Chrome, Firefox, or Edge, depending on what you use.
3. Check whether your main platforms are supported before installing, if a specific site is your reason for using it.
4. Read the Pronouns 101 guide if you're still unsure what pronouns are or how to use them correctly.

The core takeaway: pronouns are how people refer to themselves, using the right ones is a matter of respect, and tools like PronounDB exist to make correct usage the default rather than a guess.