If you look at the breakdown by state in the survey you cite, around 82% of the people pronounce “ant” and “aunt” the same in New York and New Jersey, while only 14% do in Massachusetts.
Is aunt pronounced ant or ont?
Aunt is another one that’s pronounced differently depending on where you’re from: If you say it “ahnt” you’re probably from Britain or one of just a couple parts of the U.S. (notably the Boston area). In fact, the “ant” pronunciation is the older one, but it shifted to “ahnt” in England after the colonies were settled.
What is the most common pronunciation of aunt?
The [a] pronunciation of aunt was brought to America before British English developed the [ah] in such words as aunt, dance, and laugh. In American English, [ah] is most common in the areas that maintained the closest cultural ties with England after the [ah] pronunciation developed there in these words.
Is ant and aunt the same thing?
Ant and aunt are two words that are often pronounced in the same way, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They are homophones.
How do I pronounce Nguyen?
N’win/Ng’win: One syllable. Ng’win is closest to the correct Vietnamese pronunciation. Noo-yen/Ngoo-yen: Two syllables.
Is caramel pronounced Carmel or caramel?
Caramel is pronounced with three syllables. Carmel, the city, is pronounced with two syllables. You can use the number of syllables in each word to link it with other nouns of the same type: caramel and aerogel are both three-syllable common nouns, while Carmel and Arnold are both two-syllable proper nouns.
What are the most mispronounced words?
Here are 20 of the most commonly mispronounced words in English, and how to say them right.
- 1 Pronunciation. Ironically, many people mispronounce this word!
- 2 Cupboard.
- 3 Epitome.
- 4 Salmon/almond.
- 5 Library/February.
- 6 Definitely.
- 7 Ask.
- 8 Wednesday.
Is aunt an English word?
Meaning of aunt in English. the sister of someone’s father or mother, or the wife of someone’s uncle or aunt: I have an aunt in Australia. This is my Aunt Camille.
Whats the correct way to say caramel?
The Oxford Dictionaries states: “The word caramel can acceptably be pronounced in several accepted ways, including KARR-uh-mel, KARR-uh-muhl, and, in North American English, KAR-muhl. The disappearance of that second syllable -uh- in the final pronunciation seems to have been in the works for a long time.”
How do you say aunt in Celtic?
Aintin is the word for “aunt” and uncail for “uncle” but in the Irish kinship system aunt and uncle have a wider definition; in common kinship an aunt or uncle is the sister or brother of either the mother or the father.
How do you spell aunty in Australia?
Aussies tend to use ‘aunty‘ more, whilst the Brits use ‘auntie’. Both use aunty or auntie to refer to our Broadcasting Corporations, the ABC and the BBC. According to the infallible Wikipedia, Aussies adopted ‘Aunty’ as a name for our ABC in imitation of the English nickname ‘Auntie’ for their BBC.
How do Southerners say route?
I heard at an early age that Southerners pronounce route to rhyme with bout, and that Northerners pronounce route to rhyme with root. This is true, but there is more to it than different pronunciations. The different pronunciations have different meanings.
How do you say either in Canada?
Canadians often side with the British on the pronunciation of lever /ˈlivər/, and several other words; been is pronounced by many speakers as /bin/, rather than /bɪn/; and either and neither are more commonly /ˈaɪðər/ and /ˈnaɪðər/, respectively.
Is it pronounced Nike or Nikey?
The correct way to pronounce “Nike” is so that it rhymes with “spiky”. So if you’ve been pronouncing it that way this whole time, congratulations – you’ve been right!
How do you say the word Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis Pronunciation
It is pronounced pneu·mo·no·ul·tra·mi·cro·scop·ic·sil·i·co·vol·ca·no·co·ni·o·sis.
How is gyro pronounced?
The word comes from the Greek word for “spin,” a fact confirmed by staff at Greektown restaurant Athena. “Yee-ro” would apply to a single sandwich, as in, “I want a gyro,” while “yee-ros” would be the correct pronunciation if you were to say, “I love gyros,” Greek experts said.
How does Crayola pronounce crayon?
Webster’s Dictionary states the proper way to pronounce Crayon is in two syllables krA on‘.
Do you say pecan or pecan?
We can all rest assured that there is no one proper pronunciation for the word pecan; though, the most accepted is “pi-KAHN.” The word pecan originated from the Algonquin term pacane and the iteration we are most familiar with was used in the mid-1700s. From there, pronunciation trends really seem to vary.
Is the L in Palm silent?
Both the OED and M-W list the silent “l” as the first pronunciation and the “l” pronunciation as a variant for the following words: alms, palm, psalm, and qualm.
What are the 10 most annoying mispronounced words?
Here’s a list of the top 10 most irritating pronunciations:
- Pacifically instead of specifically – 35%
- Probly instead of probably – 28%
- Expresso instead of espresso – 26%
- Specially instead of especially – 25%
- Artick instead of arctic – 19%
- Nu-cu-lar instead of nuclear – 19%
- Tenderhooks instead of tenterhooks – 18%
What is the hardest word to say in the English language?
The Most Difficult English Word To Pronounce
Rural. Otorhinolaryngologist. Colonel. Penguin.