Pronunciation: aunt

you think you've got ant problems? Try moving to New England where people yell at you for calling a route a route. Let's take this route to the game so we can root for a rout from the home team. We speak American English in the midwest. Not the Queen's English. This is not 1692. This is not France, route should be prounced rowt...not root. Why do Americans prounounce Patrick Roy as Patrick Wah. This is not France. The ant pronunciation more than likely grew from the midwest...which was settled not so much by blue bloods as by hard working immigrants from Ireland and Poland...I love the comment on the previous page from "educated Bostonian"....if you're EDUCATED you must be right! Just ask anyone, the world is flat right? Look people, it's all just howling at the moon, we're all going to die in the end...but it sure is fun to poke fun at the Bostonians...what a haughty educated bunch. They'll even stubbornly vote straight Democrat while the entire rest of the country sees the need to recalibrate.

Hey, I'm from Toronto, and moved to Ottawa for 2 years.

It's pretty much the same for both cities. As far as I can remember, I remember being taught aunt like ant. No one really says aunt like "ahnt" - that sounds very southern to me - though people pronounce aunt like awe, and then -nt (one syllable, of course).

But I hear more or less maybe 20%, half the people say it the first way, the other half say it the third way mentioned.

However, I'd say at least 90% of people who say it the third way also incorporate the word 'auntie', either interchangeably, both meaning the word 'aunt', or distinctively, 'auntie' being like a close family friend (female, of course). I've never heard of a male version of the word 'auntie'.

And so, my theory growing up was always that auntie pronounced the third way was always ok, since it was a different word anyway. However, aunt should be properly pronounced like ant the first way. For me, it was like people who didn't know how to pronounce aunt were people who learned 'auntie', first, and then shortened it. I analogise this with how the word 'spliff' turned into 'splee', and then, in turn, to spleezy, that the origin of the word as spliff could not be traced back if you've never heard spliff before.

However, both cities I'm from are so filled with immigrants and the descendants of them, the pronunciation of words have shifted and/or varies as often as from school to school, or even one school can have teachers that pronounce things so differently.

My other theory while growing up was that the third pronunciation of aunt was wrong, because it was the result of people pronouncing the word before hearing it. Since it was different from the 'ant' spelling, it should be pronounced the third way, and the people around them who said it that way just the more confirmed it. On the other hand, I made sure I always said it the first way, because words shouldn't be pronounced the way it's spelt; you know better! Like, 'nobody' is pronounced differently from 'no body' or 'no bodies', although I know most US Americans say it the same way. Same with 'anybody', 'somebody.

For all the black people and others who were offended by the theories on cultural links. I do understand you, especially in the states, but it doesn't mean everyone's being racist or whatever; I know the feeling of when even when the person is saying it in a non-racist way, you know he's still being racist. Now this can come off as a generalisation, as well as an offence in itself, but I think people in the states don't even know what stereotypes are. There are differences between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, etc. The stereotype that black people say aunt the third way is simply a stereotype (I've actually never heard of this stereotype before today). However, because it is one it makes it true. That is, because people have this image in their head when they hear aunt the third way or think of a black person saying aunt, they think these two things link together. Of course, it doesn't mean it's in their genes to say 'aunt' the third way; that's preposterous. Both white people and black people, and other people, say it both ways. It just means that for the people that think that, they think most people in a certain group say it that way.. maybe because every single person in that group they've met so far do say it that way.. unlucky individuals that they are! That means it makes it true! It means most people or all people they've met so far do say it that way. Stereotypes are the exact same thing as statistics, except they're not actually statistically proven, if that even makes sense. Because maybe statistically, they're wrong, and it's just the black people in their area that say it that way.

But it by no means makes it discrimination at all, unless they're behaving a certain way because of their preconceived notions! Who cares! Stereotypes is a way to learn! And, for those of you who did think people who had stereotypes about black people are stupid and have preconceived notions, you are also having a preconceived notion about them! (except for those people who made it explicit, such as the users who used "UK wide" and things like that)

i'm from new jersey and me and my family all say "ont". usually people with a boston, chicago, or new york accent will say "ant" which is the wrong way of saying it, or atleast it was. nowadays common english has caught on and changed the pronunciation examples in dictionaries. originally it was just "ont", not the two, then people in the chicago, new york, and san francisco areas started talking faster than people in the south and found it easier to say short A fast than short O, which makes no sense to me. now think about it, it's spelled aunt, there aren't any other words with "au" in them pronounced just "a". you say auto, not ato, dinosaur, not dinosar, restaurant, not restarant (though that word raises a whole nother discussion, as well as the phrase "a whole nother"). in english there are many words with silent letters, but aunt isn't one of them. "ant" is an abbreviation, and nothing more. only because so many people use it has it been excepted into modern english. so about 50-100 years ago, "ont". today, both.Current score: 0 (to vote for this comment, please visit the site)

I'm from Maine, and the word "aunt" seems to be primarily (as far as I've heard it pronounced in 41 years, as the way you would say "font" There is no "w" at all in the prononciation. I am saddened to see that such a simple question posed by one person could have elicited such nasty replies. In all honesty, the dictionary, whether you use Websters, Merriams, or Dictionary.com, all say that it can be pronounced either way (we could get into a discussion on how to pronounce "either and neither" if it would be profitable, but I'm just not going to go there...). I have a dear friend down in SC that we all affectionately call "Ant" Shirley, as that is how we were introduced by her family and that is perfectly fine with me. She likes the designation, so I'm happy for her.
God Bless

For me it's not "ant" or "ont" or "awnt" but "ahnt". I pronounce the "au" the same as I do in "laugh". I come from the UK but have lived in New Zealand for the past 7 years. Everyone here pronounces it "ahnt" too.

Eastern Pennsylvania
I've always pronounce aunt as "ont" (or as "awnt"). I've realized that many people do say "ant" though. Since I'm always unsure of the pronouciation, I refrain from using the word! I pronounce it "awnt" because of haunt, flaunt, taunt etc. I makes sense to me.

The German is "Tante" and is, in fact, pronounced phoenetically as an "ahn" sound. As for trigger feelings and words that yield specific reaction, the soft pronunciation of "Aunt" i. e. as "ant" reminds me solely of an insect and a region that is far-removed from any sort of European articulation. I am from Boston and we say, exclusively "Aunt" or even "Auntie" as the "Ahn" sound. I guess we acknowledge both the "u", as well as the point of origin. When people say "Ant", I cringe. It is a matter of frame of reference and regional development and acclimation. Just my biased opinion.

I am creole/multiracial from Michigan. When I hear the word "ant" I think of a big black bug. I have always pronounced it "aunt" because the au in the word is pronounced aw. However, I would understand if someone from the UK (for example) whose particular accent or dialect pronounced it ant. It does annoy me sometimes when I hear ant from a caucasian American. I have had many discussions with some of my caucasian counter parts about the pronunciation.

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Fifth Edition (1947 printing) lists both \?änt\ and \?ant\ as standard pronunciations. (I have updated the phonetic symbols to reflect their current standards.) Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (1991 printing) also lists both pronunciations.

And Webster's Ninth says this in its explanatory notes:

"The presence of variant pronunciations indicates that not all educated speakers pronounce words in the same way. A second-place variant is not to be regarded as less acceptable than the pronunciation that is given first. It may, in fact, be used by as many educated speakers as the first variant, but the requirements of the printed page are such that one much precede the other."

Can we please move on? Lots of English words have more than one pronunciation, and all English-speaking people have accents. My southern friends—some of them—say "earl" for "oil" and "Paypsee" for "Pepsi." We may kid each other about it, but we don't call each other names.

As for "forte," Merriam-Webster Online has this comment on its pronunciation:

"In 'forte' we have a word derived from French that in its “strong point” sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \?f?r-?t?\ and \?f?r-t?\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived 'forte.' Their recommended pronunciation \?f?rt\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word 'le fort' and would rhyme it with English 'for.' So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \?f?-?t?\ and \?f?t\ predominate; \?f?r-?t?\ and \f?r-?t?\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English."

No mention at all of "Dynasty."

The U in aunt is silent.The correct pronuciation is "ANT".Most people who prefer the "ONT" think it sounds classier.It is actually classier to pronounce something correctly.Even the British agree( watch" Howards End")
Also the French word forte is pronounced in France as "fort",not "fortay".The only reason people believe that "fortay" is the correct way is because that is how it was said on DYNASTY,a popular soap opera.

Nick, how do you pronounce "laugh"?

i'm from new jersey and me and my family all say "ont". usually people with a boston, chicago, or new york accent will say "ant" which is the wrong way of saying it, or atleast it was. nowadays common english has caught on and changed the pronunciation examples in dictionaries. originally it was just "ont", not the two, then people in the chicago, new york, and san francisco areas started talking faster than people in the south and found it easier to say short A fast than short O, which makes no sense to me. now think about it, it's spelled aunt, there aren't any other words with "au" in them pronounced just "a". you say auto, not ato, dinosaur, not dinosar, restaurant, not restarant (though that word raises a whole nother discussion, as well as the phrase "a whole nother"). in english there are many words with silent letters, but aunt isn't one of them. "ant" is an abbreviation, and nothing more. only because so many people use it has it been excepted into modern english. so about 50-100 years ago, "ont". today, both.

Updated link to dialect map:

http://www.ling.cam.ac.uk/survey/results/map/1

I grew up in Colorado, I say it as "ont," however people (Coloradans) often bother me about it and say that I should be pronouncing it "ant," not sure how much this helps.

though it can be pronounced anyway really, the true correct pronunciation is "aunt" though most people say ant because.....i have no fucking idea, i say aunt...

down in south Carolina whites say ant and black people say ontie or ont but i think the correct way is ant

The link in my last post doesn't work because of the parentheses. Here it is again:

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19991216

The pronunciation of "ask" as "aks" is sometimes seen as a sign of ignorance, but it should not be. I found the following explanation online:

"While the pronunciation /aks/ for ask is not considered standard, it is a very common regional pronunciation with a long history. The Old English verb áscian underwent a normal linguistic process called metathesis sometime in the 14th century. Metathesis is what occurs when two sounds or syllables switch places in a word. This happens all the time in spoken language (think nuclear pronounced as /nukular/ and asterisk pronounced as /asteriks/).

Metathesis is usually a slip of the tongue, but (as in the cases of /asteriks/ and /nukular/) it can become a variant of the original word. This alternative version in Old English was axian or acsian, as in Chaucer's: "I axe, why the fyfte man Was nought housband to the Samaritan?" (Wife's Prologue 1386). Ascian and axian co-existed and evolved separately in various regions of England. The ascian version gives us the modern standard English ask, but the axian variant ax can still be found in England's Midland and Southern dialects.

In American English, the /aks/ pronunciation was originally dominant in New England. The popularity of this pronunciation faded in the North early in the 19th century as it became more common in the South. Today the pronunciation is perceived in the US as either Southern or African-American. Both of these perceptions underestimate the popularity of the form.

/aks/ is still found frequently in the South, and is a characteristic of some speech communities as far North as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa. It is one of the shared characteristics between African-American English and Southern dialects of American English. The wide distribution of speakers from these two groups accounts for the presence of the /aks/ pronunciation in Northern urban communities.

So in fact, your colleague is correct in calling /aks/ a regional pronunciation, one with a distribution that covers nearly half of the territory in the United States and England."

(Source: http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19991216)

The pronunciation is common enough to have engendered a very old joke:

Somebody asked Miss Lizzie the time of day. Said she: "I don't know, but I'll go and ax Father."

That was current humor in 1892. Still not funny, really.

I can't understand all of the racism and bigotry that came out of this. If you honestly think all black people pronounce ask as "ax", you are a moron. You obviously haven't watched enough gangster movies. Pronouncing it "aks" is a part of the old fashion New York accent. It's not nearly as common anymore as it was.

Concering aunt, I've always pronounced it ahnt/ont. I have a bit of a New York accent so it's sometimes even "awnt". Oh, and I'm 100% white.

I hate to hear ONT or Ahnt. I'm in Nebraska. But my husband only says Ahnt because that is what he thinks it is in German. His mom says ant.
Ahnt sounds stuffy and not American.

Okay, I am an African-American from the south, but was raised all over Europe as my father was in the Air Force. My parents grew up in the South and taught me to say "Ahnt/Ont". I do not say Auntie and neither do any of my relatives who grew up in the South. Please STOP making such blanket statements about ethnic groups; They will be invariably disproved by someone...probably on this board. :-)

I think the difference in pronunciation is regional and based cultural differences. You guys have some great points, but I just cannot call my mother's or father's sister an insect. This is just my preference. Btw, New England and the South have way more in common than not.

One final thought: race is a social construction and is meaningless. Please do not refer to blacks as Negros. You wont offend me, but you may offend someone else. Try to climb into the 21st century and refer to us as African- Americans. You know, like Irish-Americans or Italian-Americans. :-) Nice discussion.

The word for the bug is pissant. The word for my Mothers sister is ant with a silent U

Staunton, Va is is pronounced STAN-ton. African-American is not a race. It is Negro or Negroid. I suppose black is also correct as negro or negra means black in the latin based languages

These words aren't Homophones!!! How does the sentence my ant stepped on an ant sound?!?! Makes no sense right?! So personally I think it's ont.

As a Southerner who had the unfortunate experience of living in New England for 7 long years, let me agree w/the lady from Illinois: indeed, they DO think the universe revolves around them (especially my mother-in-law). I never heard the pronunciation "ahnt" or "awnt" (except from the African-American community) till I moved to this cold and snooty place. Then I had to laugh because my mother-in-law couldn't understand why my daughter didn't know who her "Awnt So-and-So" was. I explained that it was just because she had never heard the word "awnt" in her life.

Another funny. MIL was setting the table w/my daughter at a "Baaa-buh-que" one day, when she said to her "He-ah, huney, I'll do the knives, and you do the fox." This brought my daughter to a complete standstill till I translated, "Forks, sweetheart, she means FORKS." Hahahahaha!

Or how about this one: we were helping MIL prepare for an impromptu trip to FL one X-mas (yes, this woman is just that organized) when she was running around the house panicked because she couldn't find her "khakis." "Oh whey-ah aah my khakis??" Took us quite awhile to figure out that she was looking for the CAR KEYS. Hahahahaha!

I'm happy to say that we are now contentedly living in the South, which, for all its flaws, at least has the advantage of being 800 miles away from my MIL!!!

Zai says:
February 24, 2009 at 7:51 pm
"Swardie – While I pronounce aunt as "awnt" I would not compare aunt with restaurant since its etymology is French and I am not sure where the word "aunt" comes from."

Aunt is indeed from french too. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=aunt
appearently it's etymologically related to (and means) "tante", which, since it's french uses yet another "a", closer to the english "far" for example, though more nasal.

I'm from sweden, so my personal pronounciation, which happens to be "awnt" doesn't mean so much, other than that I've tried to embrace brittish english more conciously to balance out my otherwise unproportional exposure to american english. Though in this particular case it seems obvious that "ant" isn't "the american variant, period", simply the choice of the majority.

Growing up in the south, we always pronounced the word "ant" but the older generation used the pronunciation "aint." Since we learned to call our aunts by name from the older generation, we ended up calling our aunts by name as such: "Aint Bertha" but if we talked about them without a name, is was "my ant." The only people we ever heard say "Ahnt" were on television. The blacks in our area usually used the term "ahntee."

That last comment fills me with LAUghter!

It's "Aunt" we don't say "Agust", we say "AUGUST" so we shouldn't say "Ant" instead of "Aunt

Awhant is just an ugly word. it sounds awful. I would never refer to my parents sisters in such an ugly way. My aunts are able to distingish thier titles from an ant. Because we say aunt and not ant.

Born and raised in Florida, and lived in Scotland for 20 years before
moving back to Florida. Something happened over those 20 years
because we definitely pronounced it like the insect way back then.
BTW, my Scottish wife also pronounces it like the bug.

well universally americans say ANT but we came from england and the english language was born there and they say AUNT....but in the american english dictionary it goes both ways

Anna says:
October 1, 2009 at 8:25 am

Gosh – am I the only Brit here?

Gosh - am I the only Brit here?

It is very difficult to describe how we pronounce 'aunt', because I'll write it my way and then you'll pronounce it your way and it still won't make sense! For example, I was confused by Michael saying it rhymed with 'flaunt', because it certainly doesn't when I say it, but I say 'flaunt' with an American accent it does! Genius, Michael!

So when I say 'aunt', it sounds like "aren't", but you have to do the Brit accent, too!

And if things like this entertain you, come on over to www.anglofile.net and have a look (in the next few weeks I'll be adding articles on how to talk like a Brit, including how to apologise like a Brit and how to swear like a Brit!

Anna.

The pronounciation of ‘aunt’ as ‘ant’ or ‘ahnt’ is not a function of accent. We can see from the comments posted here that there are regional, cultural, and even ethnic factors involved. Each version may be accented, but the distinct underlying phonemes remain recognizable.

The fact that there are two pronunciations of the word may be traced back to the “Great Vowel Shift” of Middle English. During this change ‘a’ as in ‘fame’ would become ‘a’ as in ‘farm.’ The shift was not universal; it was primarily a southern phenomenon in medieval England – the very region that would later provide the basis for Standard English. Thus ‘ant’ would have become ‘ahnt,’ but not in all parts of England.

Both pronunciations later entered American English in different places and at different times, according to the patterns of immigration. The persistence of the two forms probably has much to do with the word’s intimate tie to family. Nobody has both an ‘ant’ and a ‘great-ahnt.’

Im from both the South and New England. I was taught to pronounce Aunt like 'Ahnt'. Most people I have discussed this with dissagree and think it should be pronounced as 'Ant'. I don't know about your Aunt, but mine only had 2 legs. Also I have never heard of the 'silent u'. I think people learned to pronounce it as 'ant' because they didn't know how pronounce it with the short 'a' sound as in 'anht'. Accents are part of our culture, but they don't make it right. There is a right way to pronounce it, but I don't know what it is.

It's interesting to see how passionate some get over the pronunciation of this one word. For the record, I pronounce it like want, though I can't be certain how anyone pronounces that word, either.

I am seeing three distinct pronunciations represented: Ant (like the bug), Awnt, and Ahnt. I have never felt any of these to be superior to the others; they are simply regional and cultural differences. Why not enjoy the salad?

You say tomato, I say tomato, but don't you be dissin' my Auntie!

We (born and brought up in Boston area, more specifically A"h"lington) were just discusssing this very subject. We pronounce it ahnt, as in laughter. Where did "ont" come from? I've never heard that. We were also discussing the path vs pahth, along with bath, etc. We pronounce all of these the same as ahnt.
Funny story. When we moved one town over, I went to the library with my sons and asked where the books on sharks (shahks) were located. I might as well have been speaking a foreign language. The librarian finally asked, "Do you meal small houses?" (shacks). My kids grew up here and my son came home from basketball practice on day and was using the term "pom" the ball! (palm) I had no clue what he was talking about because of course I would pronounce it pahm.
They have all moved to different areas of MA and now my grand-children pick me up on my pronunciations. They are all starting to have a generic accent like tv news anchors! Takes the fun out of it!

Oh, I from the Northeastern part of the US.

People let's use nationalities when we refer to ourselves verses the misnomer of skin color like the two gentlemen who wrote earlier. There is no country called white or black, ignorance is a killer.

I'm African-Asian American living in Atlanta, GA and perfer to use "awnt" verses "ant." It seems a bit improper to me to use "ant." However, I realize according to the dictionary both "ant" and "awnt" are acceptable. I totally agree with earlier writer...it's not incorrect because it is used less.

I say "ont". Grew up in New York and California.

I personally think it's always a little confusing to hear "ant", but I don't really mind or anything. On a side note, I say "add-dult" not "uh-dult".

Ha, I misspelled "correctly" LOL!

"You say po-tay-tow, and I say po-taw-tow...

Let's call the whole thing off."

Ontario, Canada lad. "Ant". Awnt sounds snobby. And if you spell it correctlt, and people understand you either way, who cares?

"Auhnt" from new england

Education and good sense are two different things.

I pronounce aunt in my family as "Diane". We're from the west coast. :)

I also say ahnt, to answer the real question.

That this discussion has been running nigh on to 3 years is amazing. And, for the most part, those who express their opinions, while disagreeing with others, have been tolerant.
Pronunciations will vary with many English words. The English language is dynamic; pronunciation and spelling of many words used in Chaucer's time are today barely recognizable, much less, used. So, may we all continue to agree to disagree, but always in good humor, bearing in mind that "ant", "ahnt" "ont", "ownt", "arnt" and other pronunciations of the word, when used in context, will be understood by those who understand English as meaning one's relative - mother's or father's sister.

I (african-american born in northern NJ) believe ant comes from the sound, long a + ont or a-unt pronounced casually sounding like ant. Somewhere along the line some pronounced it ant with no obvious connection to aunt. In the south or southern decendents it's many times pronounced aint like the improper contraction. Which puts me in mind of my late aunt whom I referred to as Aint Thelma. It's more due to accent than preferred pronunciation.

Oh, sorry, lol. I'm from Arkansas and we say "ant".

According to Webster's New World Dictionary, both pronunciations are acceptable. The problem, in my experience, wasn't in how people said it but how people spelled it. A-U-N-T and not A-N-T.

the u makes the "a" a short a

I prononce Aunt ant like the small bug and my friend says ont and i think that people who say ont need help inprononcing in if they are form America.

jesus this has a buncha posts. i say "aunt" as ANT. im from atlanta GA though and a lot of suthnas say aunt but black people say auntie

Swardie - While I pronounce aunt as "awnt" I would not compare aunt with restaurant since its etymology is French and I am not sure where the word "aunt" comes from.

To Michele in MD - since when do we change our pronunciation over what people deem snobbish? I for one do not! I was taught English by North Eastern Mennonites(U.S) and will stick with my "awnt."

And by the way Mick - I am not black nor do I have any desire to change my pronunciation out of political correctness . . .what a crock!

I accept that both pronunciations are right and try to leave any assumptions at the door. The use of aunt as "awnt" in the minority does not make it incorrect - just under used.

Personaly I looked this up to get the correct way of saying Aunt because of a diagreement at work today. Guess what I still don't know so for me it will be Ant

I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area and say it "ant". Dictionary.com gives both pronunciations, but "ant" is first.

I am white, older and recently corrected for using awnt instead of ant. My friend thought it sounded a bit snobby. Looking it up I was surprised to see ant as preferred over awnt. My father was French and my mother was an English major - - so I used the form spoken at home. I also put the R in wash, washington which is commonly used by natives from DC. Wrong? Of course.

Actually, Al Michaels is closer to "the bool belongs to Boolamore, biggiz they recovered the fumble." And John says, "Right, bit it was close."

Well, we in New England pronounce it "on't" because if was meant to be pronounced "ant" it would be spelled a-n-t, no? It's spelled aunt as in "restaurant" which, I hope, is universally pronounced "rest-aw-ront".

I was raised in IL and now live in NE. These people up here think they have their own little country going on. When I hear them say ont...it sounds like some pretentious blueblood Redcoat pronunciation to me. The New Englanders actually make things harder to say, in Illinois, things are flattened out so people can talk faster. For instance, although grammatically incorrect, "where are you" is translated into the lightning fast "where you at"...try saying both as fast as you can and you can clearly see one is tuned for speed.

In NE, I actually saw a furniture commercial on TV the other day touting a leathuh sofer. For some reason, they translate words that should end with "a" to "er", and words that should end with "er" to "uh". I've also heard people say "con't" instead of "can't". "Get yaw butt off the sofer and come outside and help me pahk the cah!" "I con't, I'm on the phone with my ont" . "Hi, do you have any Ont Jemima syrup?"

But I'd rather hear the ridiculous NE stuff than listen to Al Michaels on MNF talk about the ref making the "cawl"..and the player catching the "bawl". What dopes those New Yorkers are.

Seeing as how we speak English which was originally from "England", a lot of Brits say it "Ont", and not Ant. It should rhyme with Flaunt, Aunt. Ant is Ant. The Dictionary lists both pronunciations, but I believe if you were to speak it in the purist sense, it would be Aunt. Ant is just been tolerated for so long that no one has really questioned it. It's the same as Caribbean "Care i bee in" or "Ka rib ee' in". The last pronunciation is probably more accurate as it was named after the Carib Indians. (That's "Kairib"). Accents and Inflections has slowly changed how the word was perceived in the first place.

I am from the bay area and now live in south florida. When I was younger I always use to say "ant" and as I progressed in school the teachers told us we were pronouncing it incorrectly and ever since I say "ont." It just sounds more educated to me when I hear people say "ont" instead of "ant," because, if not, I literally think of an ant, the insect, walking around in a picnic basket.

Good one, Mick. Hey, Scaryfunhouse, did you run out of gas because your ch-AH-ffeur forgot to check the fuel g-AH-ge?

Auntie Mame
Aunt Polly
Aunt Jemima

These are American phrases that have been around for a few decades or more and all were universally pronounced "ant". That does not make "ant" correct or preferred but it does prove one thing, which is that the growing prevalence of "ont" in the past few years is simply more political correctness influence - a "here's one we can give the black folks" gesture if you will. Oh, and scarynotsofunorsmarthouse, I suppose that when you are amused you "loff" out loud?

Scaryfunhouse, audio is pronounced like AW-dio by most people, not AH-dio. So do you pronounce it AW-nt or AH-nt? Also, as posted above, "au" has many different pronunciations depending on the word, so what exactly do you mean by "Personally I like to pronounce it like it's spelled"? And why should we all accept that your pronunciation is the "right" one just because you say so?

Oh, and I love coming back to this thread.

I moved to Pittsburgh, PA about 5 years ago from New England and was hit with a TON of new vocabulary that the locals consider to be "correct" or acceptable. ie: a vacuum cleaner is called a "sweeper".

When you're raised pronouncing something, or even describing something a certain way, you become "proud" and refuse to accept what the real definition is.... as is proof with the whole "sweeper" thing....

Go ahead and dispute this anyone, it's really just a matter of ignorance...

Let's hear if for AHNT..... that or let's just change the pronounciation of audio to "adio", cause that's right, right?

Personally I like to pronounce it like it's spelled. NOT like the bug... maybe the bug should be spelled "aunt" if it sounds like "ant" anyway, right.....
You grow up with pronouncing it one way or another, I guess I just grew up pronouncing it the right way!

p.s. - that was meant to be ironic

well I'm an Irish Indian African who lives in Western Canada and I say you're all crazy for continuing to add to this post two and a half years later.

I'm black the word is pronounced "ANT". Blacks butcher the languag no matter what the word.

i'm from connecticut and i've always said "ont" and i only ever hear people say "ont" i recently found out that pretty much only people in new england pronounce it like that.

I pronounce it aunt like ont & i'm from India

i say them both! i'm from the DC area... i'll say "im going to see my ont" but if i actually say the aunt's name, i'll say their ant "i'm going to see ant margie" ... i cant figure out if its regional or not either

I'm an army brat and have lived in many places. The majority of the folks I know say "ant" as I do and a few of my relatives say "aint". The pronunciation that always makes me cringe is whenever I hear "police" pronounced as "poe-lease".
Jo - Versailles, MO USA (pronounced as "ver sales")

Just do to this link.

It shows it is correct to pronounce it either way and also explains the origins of each pronunciation.

:o)

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aunt

I personally say "ont" and my girlfriend makes fun of me because apparently "ant" is the "normal" way to say it (according to her).

I've always said ONT. She's always said ANT.

I've grown up at Southern California and so has she.

The only thing that's different about us is that my parents are from Taiwan and I basically learned English on my own and she was born in West Virginia, her parents are from the east coast and midwest.

So there...toe-MAY-toe, toe-MA-toe lol...

I don't think it's beyond you Porsche. I just think you're very stubborn and unreasonable to accept a valid point with which you disagree. "Ant" is more common in the U.S., but not in the rest of the world.

The examples you've given in your latest spittle are fairly absurd, given that "launce" and "draught" are hardly ever used in American English and "laugh" does NOT have a short "a" sound when spoken in England, the country that invented English.

Well said Uncle Ben.

I'm from Maine, and we've said "ont". But I moved to Florida and everyone here says "ant" unless they're from up north.

Uncle Ben, I must disagree with some of your points. Aunt is not the only 'au' word that has an 'a' sound. What about 'laugh'? And how about 'draught,' variation of draft' and pronounced the same, or 'launce', variation of 'lance'?

Also, if aunt were the only word pronounced that way (which it isn't), that still wouldn't really prove anything. I'm pretty sure that 'gauge' is the only word pronounced g-ay-ge, with an 'ay' sound. No other word uses the 'ay' sound for 'au', but no one at all would claim that it's pronounced g-ah-ge or g-aw-ge, right?

Of course, I do agree with your main points: both a-nt and ah-nt are correct pronunciations with a-nt perhaps being somewhat more common, depending on geography. Why something so simple has become such a battle out here is really beyond me.

R,
In all the pronunciation examples you've given, there are several words within each pronunciation group that are pronounced the same (ie...even though the "oo" has several sounds depending on the word, there are many words in the group that are pronounced like "book"---some examples are nook, look, crook, etc. There are also many words pronounced like "soon" --- noon, loon, boon, etc.)

Even with homophones (dear, deer) there are normally several examples of other words with the same spelling that match these in pronunciation (tear, beer)

There is a METHOD to the madness that is English.

The problem with your argument is that your pronunciation of "aunt" as "ant" is COMPLETELY UNLIKE all of the words you've mentioned. According to you and the majority of the people on this board who stubbornly cling to a pronunciation that isn't logical (just because they were raised pronouncing it that way), "aunt" is the ONLY word of its spelling that is pronounced like "ant," whereas ALL THE OTHER WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE that end in "-aunt" belong to another pronunciation group. To a rational person, this doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, as we have seen time and time again, many people are not rational.

As a side note, other than random dictionary notes in North American dictionaries, there really is very little empirical evidence that the "ant" pronunciation preceded the AHNT pronunciation. And common sense would tell you otherwise if you were just to take a hot second to THINK about the fact that this is the ONLY "-aunt" word that has a popular pronunciation that is different from ALL the other -aunt words. Obviously the pronunciation was changed from AHNT to "ant" and NOT vice versa.

The fact is that the "ant" pronunciation has become accepted and is the mainstream pronunciation in English speaking North America. I don't think anyone disputes that. How this came about is only a scholar's GUESS.

It's only when very ignorant people proclaim that the "AHNT" pronunciation is wrong that problems arise. It isn't wrong, as is evidenced by the fact that the majority of the non North American English speaking world (as well as a large minority of Americans) pronounces it as such AND that the AHNT pronunciation is in line with all of the other -aunt words in the English language. To argue against it, as many people on this board have done, shows a kind of ignorant and foolish arrogance that defies explanation.

Aint Bee, the "ahnt" pronunciation is a newer invention. It seems a little strange to insist that those who use the older pronunciation are wrong.

Just because "ant" is pronounced the same as "aunt" does not make an "aunt" an insect. I suppose you'd also consider a "dear" to be a four-legged animal.

In your opinion, should the "oo" in "book" and "soon" sound the same? Are you among those who consider "its" and "it's" interchangeable?

Why do we pronounce "through" the same as "threw" instead of "throw?" According to your logic, the pronunciation of "though" would prove the latter correct.

The problem with the argument I've seen here in favor of the "ahnt" pronuciation is that it grossly over-simplifies English pronunciation.

And Lamborghini, I shouldn't even dignify your snide post with a reply, but not convincing anyone? What I've said is consistent with most of the other posters' comments. I'd love to hear from you regarding exactly what comments of mine you disagree with:

The same combination of letters can have different pronunciations in different words.

-au- has several different pronuncations depending on the particular word.

You can't use the pronunciation of one word to justify how a different word is pronounced.

Most people in this post are discussing ant vs. ah-nt, not aw-nt.

So Lamborghini, how about it? Specifically, which of the above do you disagree with and why? I'd be happy to support anything I've mentioned with facts. Please, if you're still monitoring this post, respond to the questions and leave the snide comments at home. Oh, and you think I'm porsche? I'm not. There are a lot of anonymous posters on this topic. I only commented on the topics I mentioned above.

John, WHAT are you talking about with "...The /w/ sound is a rounded velar approximant..."??

You don't actually think that the letter W has only one sound, do you?

What about the word awning, or tawny? They do have the same vowel sound as taunt, don't they? DON'T THEY??

Most dictionaries actually USE "aw" as the phonetic representation of "au" in words like taunt, etc.!! RIGHT??

The "aw" sound in taunt has NOTHING to do with the "w" sound in "we" or "well", and, yes, "aw", um, has a DOUBLE-U IN IT!!!!

Some say AHNT and some say ANT.

There you have it.

Next question, please.

R, your post is complete and utter nonsense. The word is pronounced AHNT. An ant is an insect. period. Deal with it. You can argue in circles till you're blue in the face and at the end of the day you'll still be pronouncing aunt incorrectly. Good Lord, reminds me of a Hillary Clinton "popular vote" fanatic in denial.

Maybe they should just change the spelling to "ant" and we can end this whole ridiculous and obtuse argument.

I'll pronounce it "properly" but I'll never tell..........

P.S.- Some of you guys are real assholes, maybe think about changing your professions.... that, or just find a way to stay off the internet

After scratching my head for a while, trying to figure out why IET would post his/her opinion with such an air of superiority, and then follow it up with proof that s/he's wrong, I've come to the conclusion that s/he must have misunderstood the meaning of an "educated pronunciation." This does not mean that "ahnt" is the pronunciation used by educated people, but rather that it is the pronunciation "fostered by the schools" in those areas, under the mistaken opinion that no two words in English can have different spellings and yet be pronounced the same way.

The fact is that the original pronunciation of "aunt" is the same as "ant." Anyone who says that the "ant" pronunciation is incorrect is simply wrong, as this was the pronunciation used before the introduction of "ahnt" in order to try to sound more French.

To all who try to use the spelling of "aunt" to justify the "ahnt" pronunciation, please be aware that present spelling of English words often has nothing to do with their original pronunciations. Nor should anyone assume that Americans have "bastardized" the English language, and that anyone from the English aristocracy speaks "pure English." The truth is that "posh" English has been heavily influenced by French. Much, but not all, of this shift in British English took place after the colonists had left for America, causing Americans to continue using the older forms, while many of the English shifted to the more "French" forms. Since there were no radios or recordings at the time, the English soon forgot the older words and pronunciations, causing quite a bit of shock when they once again heard them, generations later, from the Americans.

Also, I'm not sure what IET was trying to prove a few posts earlier, as his/her quotation clearly states that "the /æ/[a] pronunciation of aunt was brought to America before British English developed the /É‘/[ah] in such words as aunt, dance, and laugh."

Dear Black Lawyer:

As a reasonably well educated Bostonian (Swarthmore undergrade, Yale grad) and one who pronounces all the "r"s that are in words and none of the ones that are not. I find your arrogance towards the "ahnt" pronunciation shocking. Your examples of the other mispronunciations used by "ahnt" speakers seems overtly racist and ignorant. I too cringe when I hear the word mispronunced. "Ant" should never be used for that word. It is not only incorrect, it sounds offensive. However, I do not lord my superiority over those who speak differently than I do, I simply go about my life thinking "wow that undereducated, offensive word - 'ant' - came out of the mouth of a lawyer."

If you disagree with me in any way feel free to base your issues on my statements and not on any misspellings or mistaken grammar you may find. I weakens your case not to deal with issues.

I'm African American and have always pronounced "aunt" as "ont". Most of my friends do as well. I have noticed that my white co-workers pronouce aunt as "ant" and on every TV show or movie I've ever seen aunt is pronounced "ant".

It wasn't until I was watching The View last fall when I noticed Sherri Sheppard said "ont" when she was talking then a few minutes later she said it again but this time she said "ant". It got me to wondering why she changed the way she pronounced it so quickly. I mean it was literally within seconds. Ever since then I've wanted to know what is the correct way to say it... I mean Austin, Texas is "Awstin" not "Astin".

I will say that after reading what everyone had to say that you can really say it the way you want. I really wish someone would clear it up either way. This has been on my mind so much that is why I decided to do a search for it on MSN and this website came up. Proof that you can find anything on the web.

Take care.

"And, contrary to what some would believe, if the vast majority of people say the word--any word--in a way that is now considered "incorrect," the "incorrect" one may very well become the "correct" pronunciation in the future."

Many grammar "authorities" just can't accept that popular majority determines usage in language. It's the grammatical equivalent of "look at my Johnny, he's the only one in step in the whole parade."

"Lexicographers are not supposed to invent, but only report."

Unfortunately, lexicographers, like the rest of us, are all too human. They bring their pet notions and causes to the task at hand. There's a long history of obscure and made-up words being advocated by lexicographers. Indeed, some dictionaries deliberately invent fake words for copyright purposes.

As an example, google the word "esquivalience."

Wow, IET posted all that information to prove himself wrong about the pronunciation of aunt! Perhaps he is trying to pry open his own mind. I wish him all the success in the world with that--it can be a lifelong endeavor, though certainly worthwhile.

Clearly, Roget says that aunt is pronounced like ant. My dictionary has the 'ant' pronunciation first, and the second pronunciation has an umlaut over the a. That means, I presume, that they are both correct but that the 'ant' pronunciation is preferred. So Roget and Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (Second Edition) agree that AUNT (your mom or dad's sister) is preferably pronounced like ANT (the six-legged guest you didn't invite to your picnic.)

And, contrary to what some would believe, if the vast majority of people say the word--any word--in a way that is now considered "incorrect," the "incorrect" one may very well become the "correct" pronunciation in the future. Lexicographers are not supposed to invent, but only report.

To Black NY Lawyer:

WOW! Did you say you were a lawyer who was "born, raised, and WHOLLY educated in New York"? Not even partially educated elsewhere? You must be a genius.

Is Pompous Arrogance 101 still a universally required first-year law school course?

Obviously this pales in comparison, but I am Black and I say "ASK" and don't cringe when I hear otherwise. I pronounce the word aunt as "aunt" and don't cringe when I hear it pronounced "ant". I'm an architect--born, raised, and PARTIALLY educated in Buffalo, New York. I went to a Lutheran school, public schools, a prestigious university for my undergraduate degree, and a prestigious Ivy League university for my graduate degree. I now work in a prestigious architecture firm in Chicago.

Does this background mean anything? Yes - it means that that I have been fortunate to have these opportunities and the ability to take advantage of them. It does not mean that I am superior to people who are less fortunate, and it definitely doesn't mean that level of education or intelligence is linked to the pronunciation of the word "aunt".

On a lighter note:

Why did New York get all the lawyers and New Jersey get all the toxic waste dumps?
Because New Jersey got to pick first.

What do you call 10 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A good start.

What's the difference between God and a lawyer?
God doesn't think he's a lawyer.

To all of you who believe the proper pronunciation of aunt is ant (and that anyone who pronounces it as aant or ahnt is uneducated), try opening your mind and stepping out of your "if the majority does it, then it must be right" world. I have pasted information from Roget's dictionary below. I would think those of you who consider yourselves "educated" would do a bit of research on the topic before deciding to lambaste others. I am sure you also use the word "myself" improperly as do most who consider themselves to be amongst the "most educated." But hey, just about everyone says, "John and myself..." or "..both Sue and myself..." or "Contact Richard or myself..." and some of these people graduated from highly-regarded if not "prestigious" universities, so it must be right....right?

Open your mind, open a few books, and travel the world (and picking up a husband from Canada doesn't count).

From Roget's Dictionary:

aunt /ænt, É‘nt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ant, ahnt]

—Pronunciation note The usual vowel of aunt in the United States is the /æ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[a] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation of rant except in New England and eastern Virginia, where it is commonly the “New England broad a,” a vowel similar to French /a/[a] and having a quality between the /æ/[a] of hat and the /É‘/[ah] of car. The vowel /É‘/[ah] itself is also used. In New England and eastern Virginia /É‘/[ah] or the /a/[a]-like sound occur in aunt in the speech of all social groups, even where a “broad a” is not used in words like dance and laugh. Elsewhere, the “broader” a is chiefly an educated pronunciation, fostered by the schools with only partial success (“Your relative isn't an insect, is she?”), and is sometimes regarded as an affectation. Aunt with the vowel of paint is chiefly South Midland United States and is limited to folk speech.
The /æ/[a] pronunciation of aunt was brought to America before British English developed the /É‘/[ah] in such words as aunt, dance, and laugh. In American English, /É‘/[ah] is most common in the areas that maintained the closest cultural ties with England after the /É‘/[ah] pronunciation developed there in these words.

I've found an excellent way to amuse myself for hours--reading the ant-ont debate (which has now become the ant--ont-aint-awnt debate!)

I love accents of all sorts and have great fun guessing where people grew up based on how they speak. If you actually cringe when you hear someone say a word a certain way, it is definitely your problem (look it up--it's called "projection," and it has to do with what you are afraid you are. In this case, apparently, ignorant!)

I now have white friends who imitate the black 'ax' and black friends who never say 'ax.' Some say ant and some ont, but my rural southern family members say aint. I gave that up when I lived in Indiana and got laughed at...so yes, it is normal to speak the way those around you speak. Duh. Humans are social creatures. How else do you learn language? Apparently, some people think it was piped into their heads in its pure, "correct" form.

The joke about language is that there is no right and wrong (yes, I know that's heresy on this board), but only whether people understand you or not. I have many language-loving friends who adore deliberately distorting words for their own and others' amusement.

Of course, when you write or speak to many people, you also have to concern yourself with the judgments readers make about your intelligence and education, so you try not to trip up--that means you use what doesn't upset the most people. It's just like American politics...you choose the least offensive action. That's why newspeople have bland, unaccented voices. They are one of the reasons I love Holly Hunter--no one has managed to beat the accent out of her.

Finally, as a science writer, well, what can I say to the guy who commented on racial differences being science-based? The big secret is that the different 'races' are pretty darned similar, and getting more homogenized every day. You can call a person black who is 75% white, and no one will argue with you if his skin is even slightly mocha. Does that mean he is significantly genetically different from a white person? Um, no. I'm looking forward to the browning of America.
Melanin is far too unevenly distributed here! And just for fun, I'm gonna start saying "awnt."

Wow, Black Lawyer you are embarrassing yourself. I'm blushing for you. I feel sorry for you. Get over it. People are going to pronounce words however they want and there really is nothing you can do about it. There are so many different dialects and accents across the world that it is completely mindless to go around criticizing and looking down on people who pronounce words differently from you. You need a serious hug, or a Zoloft or something. Good gracious.

By the way, I love the Boston accent, and the Cape Cod accent. AHNT all the way every day baby!

OH.. I'm from Cape Cod.

In coastal New England there are five ABSOLUTES in pronunciation:

1) Aunt is pronounced "ah-nt"
2) Quahog is pronounced "kwa-hog"
3) Tomato is pronounced "toe MAH toe"
4) Often is pronounced with the "T" SILENT!
5) Caramel is pronounced "Ca-rah-mel" (NOT "CARMEL"!)

I went looking for a place to stand on my soapbox and complain about what's happened to the English language (American version, that is) and found this very entertaining thread which has seemed to survive for quite a long time.

For the record, I'm an "ant" person and would feel very odd to start saying "ont". But, I'm also a tomAHto person - just the way I was brought up - and feel like I'm getting very slangy if I join the huge majority saying tomAYto. But those two don't really bother me.

Here are my hot buttons - should they start new threads, go to a different blog, or just stay right here?

FebUary as opposed to FebRUary. I was shocked and dismayed to find one on-line source telling me that the former is acceptable and maybe even becoming "preferred".

NucUlar as opposed to NucLEar. The former is still (fortunately) considered improper, in spite of it having been the choice of most recent US Presidents.

KYEWpon as opposed to KOOpon. Where did anyone ever get the idea that "cou" could or should be pronounced "KEW"?

NYews as opposed to Nooze. I think that goes along with KYEWpon - people think it sounds classier to mispronounce it that way.

(a) I watch the BBC; in fact one of my fave sitcoms is "Coupling." I am fully aware of other pronunciations around the world. Re-read my comments -- never said anything other than about American English and Caribbean pronunciation.

(b) Bostonians have awful diction -- "Go "pahk" the "cah" (translation - park the car) is also something I cringe at. Bad example, hon.

(c) Been around the world and snagged a Canadian husband whilst at it.

(d) Most of the people who say "awnt/ont" as pronounce ask as "ax," caramel as "carmel," engine as "injun," and library as "liberry" to name a few ugly, awful, obvious examples.

(e) Get a life; I'm entitled to my superior, elitist opinion about those who butcher American English.