According to the online Cambridge dictionary (How to pronounce EITHER-OR in English), the American English pronunciation is “EEE-ther” and British Englsih is “EYE-ther”. But I thnk it’s more complicated than that. I was watching a TV show yesterday in which an American character pronounced it “EYE-ther”. I suppose it could have been a Brit playing an American, nailing the accent except for that one word.
It got me wondering because the pronunciation sounded a bit out of place for the character, even though I’m familiar with the “EYE-ther” pronunciation. Then I tried to think how I pronounce it and I couldn’t really remember, though I think it’s “EEE-ther”.
Googling this very important matter gives me answers that are all over the place. So I’m wondering how do you pronounce it, and what part of the U.S. or the world are you from? And no jokes that you pronounce it either way
I’ve lived in St. Louis, Memphis, and New Jersey. I pronounce the words “EEther” and “NEEther.”
I also sing in a choir. We are instructed to pronounce the words as “Eye-ther” and “NYE-ther” when we are singing choir music. If I were singing the Gladys Knight song “Neither one of us wants to be the first to say goodbye” then I would pronounce the word as she sings it: “NEEther.”
Since I’ve been singing in choirs for most of my life, sometimes the EYEther/NYE-ther pronunciation will sneak into my normal speech. The same thing happens with the word “envelope”: even though I normally pronounce the first syllable to rhyme with “when,” there are times when the French-ified pronunciation just slips out. Especially in the phrase “manila AHN-velope.”
Eye-ther and nye-ther. They were pronounced both ways when I was growing up in San Diego, and a couple years of German taught me that ‘ei’ is ‘eye’ and ‘ie’ is ‘ee’.
Born and raised Chicago, and I normally say it with an “ee,” although very occasionally will mix it up with an “eye.” Maybe when I want to stress it more or something.
The way I think the person I’m talking to would pronounce it. I might even have to pronounce it “eader” or “Ida”. I grew up in an eether neether household.
I grew up in the central Appalachians (how to pronounce that is one that gets locals heated up). In my adult life I was in the military and moved around a lot. I switch back and forth but mostly say EEE-ther but usually switch for the negative to n-EYE-ther.
Grew up in Philly, but have lived in Montreal for nearly 2/3 of my life. Eether and Neether, but it seems to me that most Canadians say Eyether and Neyether.
