# How do you pronounce Either? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434 "2012-01-04T22:43:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/21 "2012-01-05T16:42:14Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Umm, I’m a Brit and I say eether. Interesting - do you find that’s the way most people in your region pronounce it or did you pick it up elsewhere? (TV/film?) ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/22 "2012-01-05T18:41:36Z")
I’m in the e (like in ether) crowd. IMHO it sounds slightly pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/23 "2012-01-05T19:05:02Z")
Let’s call the whole thing off. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/24 "2012-01-05T19:26:47Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Strong I - Ither > > Or e-ther > > Does the gas ether have the same pronunciation? I pronounce it (EEE-thurr): “i • ∂ɝ” The other common pronunciation (EYE-thurr) would be “aI • ∂ɝ” The gas has a different TH sound: “i • θɝ” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/25 "2012-01-05T20:26:03Z")
Either. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/26 "2012-01-05T20:34:47Z")
I switch between them. Both have a voiced th sound. Ether the gas is with an ee sound and an unvoiced th, just as **AHunter3** posted. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/27 "2012-01-05T20:52:19Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > So, that explains why I keep hearing people say I-ther. They are using the Brit pronunciation. Interesting. > > Of course neither can also have the strong I or strong E. That’s also a Brit thing? Brit speaking, with me it depends on the context. I vor you do such and such. Or its eeeeever him or me. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/28 "2012-01-05T22:22:40Z")
i live smack in the mid of west and somehow i do the brit pronunciation. i wonder how the hell THAT happened… ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/29 "2012-01-06T15:02:09Z")
Either way. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/30 "2012-01-06T16:50:09Z")
Either with either an I or an E. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/31 "2012-01-06T17:57:05Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Interesting - do you find that’s the way most people in your region pronounce it or did you pick it up elsewhere? (TV/film?) My accent is a mixed bag so I couldn’t tell you - brought up in Birmingham (Midlands) and worked 20 years in London with people from all over, so it’s anybody’s guess, but it would be wrong to say all people in the UK say Ither. The Queen might, but her accent is hardly typical. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/32 "2012-01-06T19:00:15Z")
Let’s call the … oh, dammit **Reality Chuck**. You join the board a week before me, and now you beat me to a feeble joke! I’d call for pistols at dawn, but you’ve probably challenged me to a similar duel already. You’ve probably already won, so I’ll just go rest in peace. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/33 "2012-01-06T19:18:36Z")
Other – eether or iither, never ether, according to Esther. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/34 "2012-01-08T11:27:17Z")
I can do it either way, with “I-ther” being used most commonly for emphasis. The tendency is even stronger with neither. ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/35 "2012-01-08T14:56:34Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > _Other_: either way. Same. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/36 "2012-01-08T15:36:14Z")
Either way, but with a bias toward _I-ther_. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/37 "2012-01-08T15:51:49Z")
Other - both ways, and until it comes out of my mouth I don’t know which it will be. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/38 "2012-01-08T17:19:39Z")
Other. Both ways. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434/39 "2012-01-08T21:07:09Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Technically, the difference between the two _th_ sounds is that the _th_ in _either_ is voiced, while that in _ether_ is voiceless. I write this in full anticipaiton that the knowledge will be entirely useless to you. 😉 Yes, the difference between the “th” in “either” vs “ether” is whether it’s voiced or voiceless. It’s the same distinction as between “d” and “t”, “b” and “p”, “g” and “k”, “v” and “f”, “z” and “s.” All those pairs are articulated the same way, except that the first is voiced, and the second is voiceless. It just happens that in English, voiced and voiceless “th” have the same digraph representing two different sounds. (This isn’t that unusual. If you notice, the “s” used to represent a plural in English has two different pronunciations, either unvoiced “s” or voiced “z.” Compare the “s” in “pots” vs the “s” in “pods.”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-either/608434.md?page=1)