# How do you pronounce either/neither? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835 "2016-10-07T13:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/41 "2016-10-12T08:24:14Z")
I always pronounce “either” as EYE-ther, and “neither” usually gets the same pronunciation. But I think I’m more likely to slip in a “neether” once in a while. I actually grew up saying “eeether” but when I was in high school I got to know some people who said “EYEther” and thought to myself, “gee, that sounds so much nicer” and started training myself to pronounce it differently. Yes, that was exceedingly pretentious of me, but hey, I was a teenager. 🙂 Anyway, my adopted pronunciation eventually became my natural one. I’ve been saying "EYEther for so long that it would take a huge effort to switch. I went through the same process with crossing my sevens, at about the same time. After decades of seven-crossing, it is totally natural to me. But when I started, it was a bit of an affectation. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/42 "2016-10-12T13:50:49Z")
Ee for both; Pennsylvania most of my life. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/43 "2016-10-12T14:46:04Z")
Usually EEE-ther, Virginia born resident. ---
**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 12, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/44 "2016-10-12T20:43:17Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > I use both, inconsistently- England. Me too and me too. I use either (or neither one exclusively) interchangeably, maybe somewhat dependent on context. ---
**Author:** ![Scholar\_Beardpig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Scholar\_Beardpig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scholar_Beardpig)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/45 "2016-10-13T18:47:24Z")
EYE-ther. I’m from south Florida but my father was from upstate new York and my mother from Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/46 "2016-10-13T21:53:34Z")
EE, from upstate NY. EYE was pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/47 "2016-10-13T23:39:34Z")
EEE-ther. Nee-ther Lived in Massachusetts until I was 9. Then moved to Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![TwiSpark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TwiSpark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwiSpark)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835/48 "2016-10-13T23:44:13Z")
UK… How odd, I’ve never actually thought about it before but I say both EEEther and EYEther. (Especially when saying either/either as EEEther/EYEther, which roughly translates to “I don’t mind either way, it makes no difference to me”) I just seem to switch between the two at random. I’d probably say “EEEther way”, but also say “it can be EYEther”. I’d always say NEYEther though, and would only say NEEther when saying “either/either, neither/neither” which is an extended form of the either/either idiom as I know it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either-neither/767835.md?page=2)