# Are your parents' sisters "ants" or "onts"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532 "2003-10-30T22:32:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/1 "2003-10-30T22:32:13Z")
I’ve always wondered about the distribution of the two pronunciations of “aunt” in the English speaking world. Where do people say “ant” and where do they say “ont”? Is it regional, or is the “ont” pronunciation based on the notion that that it might sound higher class, like pronouncing _vase_ “vahs”. Also what’s the usual pronunciation of aunt in other Anglophone countries? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/2 "2003-10-30T22:35:02Z")
Mine are all “ain’ts”. As in “I ain’t got an Aunt”. I pronounce the last word like “ants”. The other way is poncy and wrong! 😃 * * * She told me she loved me like a brother. She was from Arkansas, hence the Joy! ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/3 "2003-10-30T22:35:08Z")
I got the “ant” pronunciation from my mom, who has lived everywhere. Her husband says it “ont,” and he grew up in northern Minnesota. It bugs us the way he says it, but it bugs him the way we do. I guess we’re even. ---
**Author:** ![ShadiRoxan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@ShadiRoxan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadiRoxan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/4 "2003-10-30T22:42:38Z")
I pronounce it “ant”. I grew up an army brat. ---
**Author:** ![cajela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cajela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cajela)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/5 "2003-10-30T22:59:33Z")
Aren’ts. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/6 "2003-10-30T23:12:33Z")
Ant from North Carolina originally, although I’m not necessarily sure its a regional thing. I’ve heard it both way in many regions of the US KTM ---
**Author:** ![cajela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cajela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cajela)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/7 "2003-10-30T23:19:41Z")
PS, for Americans - Aren’t to me is more like Ahn’t to you. If you say the R, it sounds like you’re talking like a pirate. Arrrrrn’t. Arr, that’s not it, matey. Arrrr. ---
**Author:** ![CakeOrDeath666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CakeOrDeath666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CakeOrDeath666)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/8 "2003-10-30T23:25:07Z")
I’m english. I pronounce it ‘Aunt’. I’ve NEVER heard anyone pronounce it ‘Ont’. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/9 "2003-10-30T23:27:05Z")
Mine are “ants”–I’m from California. Mr. Armadillo’s parents’ sisters are all “Onts.” Like **whiterabbit** , his fambly is all from Minnesota. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/10 "2003-10-30T23:28:39Z")
My father’s sister from Boston is “ont” Jess. My mother’s sister from South Carolina is “ant” Donna. Hope that clears things up a little. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/11 "2003-10-30T23:38:20Z")
I have Aunties (or I guess that would be “anties”.) I have one Aunt who insists that, according to HER dictionary, ONT is the preferred pronunciation and we should all call her ONT. We get around this by just calling her Margaret. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Simple\_Dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Dreamer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/12 "2003-10-31T00:13:41Z")
Mine are all “ants”. And I grew up in the Mid-west ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/13 "2003-10-31T00:19:19Z")
I’ve got anti’s myself, mind you I’m very Lancastrian speaking when it comes to relatives. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/14 "2003-10-31T00:27:22Z")
Ants. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/15 "2003-10-31T01:00:23Z")
aunt to rhyme with taunt. ants are insects. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/16 "2003-10-31T01:18:10Z")
Both. I grew up saying Ont - my dad grew up in North Dakota, and his mother’s was bilinguage German-English. But my step-mom and -sisters say Ant; they’re from western Maryland. BTW, here’s the semi-authoritative survey on the point: [The Harvard Dialect Survey](http://hcs.harvard.edu/~golder/dialect/staticmaps/q_1.html). Note the clump of “onties” in North Dakota-Minnesota, and the other in New England. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/17 "2003-10-31T01:22:42Z")
Ahnts. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/18 "2003-10-31T01:24:20Z")
And I’m bilingual English-Jibberish. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![bojon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@bojon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bojon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/19 "2003-10-31T01:30:29Z")
My sister married a man from Minnesota, that was when I first heard ONT, my neice from a different sister is living in the UP, and now another neice is saying ONT. I believe it is a regional thing, like someone from Missouri saying futher, instead of farther…I like the regional interpretation of Pasties… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532/20 "2003-10-31T05:44:57Z")
I say ahnts too (or ahnty.) I’ve rarely heard “ant” except on TV, actually… and I’ve never heard it with an “o” sound rather than an “a” one, or am I totally misinterpreting how that would be said? Wouldn’t be the first time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-your-parents-sisters-ants-or-onts/210532.md?page=2)