The word "aunt" should be pronounced "ahnt," not "ant.", amirite?

It always peeves me when people say "ant". My mom's sister isn't an insect and can't carry things that are 10 times her own body weight. That's why there's a U in the word.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

"au" makes the sound "ow" so the "u" in there would make the pronounciation "ownt"

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Yes! That's how I pronounce it. Saying "that's my ant" just sounds weird.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

That's how i say it, sometimes i say "auntie," but i get made fun of for it, so i just say "ant" when im in school.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Yeah, I say it like that. When I say it like 'ant', I sound like a game-show buzzer.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Uh yeah maybe in Britain.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

I've heard it here in the states, too. That's how my family says it.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

I say it like ant. Everyone in my family does. It's just a habbit developed. It sounds awkward to me pronouncing aunt as ahnt. I'm just so used to saying ant.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

In California, people look at you funny if you say "ahhnt." Almost everyone I know here says "ant" ...it just seems normal.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

same here, I live in California. Ahnt doesn't sound right.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

There's no right or wrong way to say it. In my family, and where I was raised in New Jersey, we pronounce it like "ant". But if you pronounce it any differently, I'm not going to look down on you.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

I'm sure there are myriad ways to say it incorrectly. You wouldn't pronounce it as "potato" or "deodorant," would you? ;P

by Anonymous 14 years ago

If someone pronounces "aunt" like "potato", I will look at them like they're an idiot. But that's just me.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

That's my point! You said there's no right or wrong way to say it, but surely there are. :P

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Well obviously there's a wrong way to pronounce a word if you're using letters that aren't in that word. You're taking my words to literally. You know what I meant.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Well obviously you may be pronouncing a word incorrectly if you're leaving our one of the letters. :S

by Anonymous 14 years ago

But that's not entirely correct, what about the words knife and gnome

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Touché. However, I don't think that this is one of those words. Usually the silently letter is the first or second one.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

it just depends on what accent you have

by Anonymous 14 years ago

In London everyone says "ahnt", "Ant" would just sound weird...

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Friend: "So yesterday my ant..." Me: "Wow! I didn't know ants could do that!" (Friend gives me confused look) Me: "It's pronounced 'ahnt'. Ants are bugs." Friend: "Well, I say it like ant." Me: "Well, you say it like an idiot."

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Pronounciation is more of a dialect thing. It depends on where you're from. Everyone says things differently.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

In my family, when you say "ahnt" youre usually reffering to an aunt you don't like or have little contact with.. like the person is a stranger. My parent's sisters are my "ants". And two words that sound exactly the same with two seperate meanings and spellings exist. "two, too, to". So saying "ants are bugs" is just arrogant.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Really? What about the world aura? Aural? Auror? Aurora Borealis? Caught, taught? They have the same sound they're trying to apply to aunt. Offhand, I can't even think of a word with "au" pronounced "ow", which I read like "ow, I hurt myself". You really shouldn't correct people if you don't know what you're talking about. For the record, no one where I live says "ahnt". That doesn't mean it's not more correct, because I live in the south/bible belt, and people are overwhelmingly stupid here.

by Anonymous 14 years ago