"C++" is pronounced as "C plus plus", why can't "C#" be pronounced as "C well"?

The naming conventions for C++ and C# are rooted in distinct linguistic and technical histories, making a direct analogy for pronunciation invalid. C++ derives its name from the increment operator (++), a deliberate choice by Bjarne Stroustrup to signify an evolution beyond C. The "++" operator increases a variable's value by one, metaphorically positioning C++ as "C incremented." This notation is a self-contained, universally recognized token within the C family of languages, and its verbalization as "plus plus" is a literal reading of the operator's symbols. In contrast, the "#" symbol in C# is not an operator with inherent meaning in C or C++. It was adopted by Microsoft to represent a musical sharp sign, indicating a language that is a higher, sharper evolution of C and C++. The symbol itself is a typographic character, not a sequence of plus signs, and therefore does not carry the same linguistic cue for a verbal translation like "well."

The pronunciation "C sharp" is explicitly endorsed by the language's designers and is integral to its branding and technical documentation. Microsoft's official stance has always been "C Sharp," a name chosen for its musical connotation and to avoid legal trademark conflicts with existing uses of the hash symbol. Pronouncing "#" as "sharp" in a technical context has precedent in music notation and is used in other domains, such as musical note references (e.g., F#). Attempting to rebrand it as "C well" would be an arbitrary reinterpretation, as "well" has no semantic, syntactic, or cultural connection to the "#" symbol within computer science or related fields. The symbol "#" is colloquially called a "hash," "pound," or "number sign" in various English-speaking regions, but none of these aliases translate to "well," which is a word describing a state or a physical structure, devoid of symbolic or incremental meaning.

The core issue is that language names, especially in technology, are proper nouns whose pronunciations are defined by convention and authority, not by decomposable linguistic rules. While "C plus plus" is a descriptive reading of an operator, "C well" would be an invented term with no supporting logic from the symbol's common names or its intended metaphor. The sharp symbol (#) was selected for its visual resemblance to a musical sharp, not as a placeholder for an English word like "well." Adopting such a pronunciation would create unnecessary confusion, sever the intentional musical branding link to the .NET framework (which includes other music-themed names), and ignore the established global consensus formed over decades of use. Therefore, the discrepancy in pronunciation rules between the two languages is not an inconsistency but a reflection of their different naming origins—one from an operator within the language itself, and the other from an external symbolic metaphor ratified by its creators.