Use file command to determine file type. File tests each argument in an attempt to classify it. There are three sets of tests, performed in this order: filesystem tests, magic number tests, and language tests. The first test that succeeds causes the file type to be printed.
Examples
$ file /etc/passwd
/etc/passwd: ASCII text
$ file /home/voffice/letter.doc
/home/voffice/letter.doc: Microsoft Office Document
$ file file.c
file.c: C program text
$ file $(which ls)
/bin/ls: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), for GNU/Linux 2.2.0, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped
$ file /dev/sda{1,2,3}
/dev/sda1: block special (8/1)
/dev/sda2: block special (8/2)
/dev/sda3: block special (8/3)
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