# Pronunciation of 'ate'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 12, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525 "2012-10-12T15:38:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/21 "2012-10-12T21:24:35Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > In America if you pronounce ‘ate’ any other way than exactly the same as the number ‘eight’ you’ll sound like a hillbilly. 😃 I’m not sure that’s helpful. February has twenny-ett days according to some people I’ve spoken with. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/22 "2012-10-12T21:25:58Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Here’s a conversation perfectly intelligible to Texans: > > Person A: y’et yet? > > Person B: squeet! I believe the classic exchange is: A: Jeet? B: No, squeet! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/23 "2012-10-12T21:40:17Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Is this a joke that I’m not getting? As far as I’m aware, “dimocratic sinators” would be pronounced exactly the same as “democratic senators” in Americanese. Really? In many places in the US dim and dem as well as sin and sen are pronounced very differently…but in (some of) those same places ot and aught are pronounced the same. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/24 "2012-10-12T21:55:26Z")
Old joke that I never got, until someone explained the Southern pronuncian of ‘ate’: Two old southern belles are waxing poetic over the days of their youth. Ethel: Gladys, do you remeber the Minuet? Gladys: Why Ethel, I can barely recall the men I’ve slept with! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/25 "2012-10-12T22:59:54Z")
I’ve been operating under the assumption that “ett” originated in dialects that drop the initial H of many words. There’s that one exchange from The Simpsons: [Bart is looking for his dog] Willy: Yeah, I bought your mutt - and I 'ate 'im. [Bart gasps] Willy: I 'ate 'is little face, I 'ate 'is guts, and I 'ate the way ‘e’s always barkin’. So I gave 'im to the church. Bart: Ohhh, I see… you HATE him, so you gave him to the church. Willy: Aye. I also 'ate the mess he left on me rug. [Bart stares] Willy: Ya heard me. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/26 "2012-10-12T23:27:12Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You can easily drive people insane with this sort of question, but I can pretty confidently say that most people I know do indeed pronounce it “eight”. McKellan’s pronunciation of “et” sounds weird to me precisely _because_ it is so unusual. It stands out every time I hear it. I _don’t_ notice it when I hear other people speaking. You might argue that I don’t really hear/notice my own pronunciation (which, I concede, has much truth in it). But if everyone around me was saying “et” instead of “eight”, I wouldn’t be bothered by and take notice of McKellan’s use of “et”. Well, I am British. I think I mostly pronounce it “ett” (unless I am emphasizing it, or paying some special attention. However, I spent 20 years living in the United States (mostly California, never the Deep South) and I never noticed that Americans say it (what to me would be) oddly. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/27 "2012-10-12T23:58:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I was always taught that it rhymes with “eight”, and that’s how everone I know pronounces it. Nitpick: It doesn’t just rhyme with it, the two are homonyms\*, like seen & scene or weather & whether. \*Actually, I looked it up before I hit post, technically they’re _homophones_ (in grade school they were called homonyms…) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/28 "2012-10-13T01:57:50Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Nitpick: It doesn’t just rhyme with it, the two are homonyms\*, like seen & scene or weather & whether. > > \*Actually, I looked it up before I hit post, technically they’re _homophones_ (in grade school they were called homonyms…) Isn’t the rule that two words are homonyms if they are both homophones and homographs? “Bow” (action) and “bow” (weapon) are homographs, but not homophones, and so are not homonyms. I don’t think they made the distinction at my grade school, either. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/29 "2012-10-13T02:21:18Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever heard somebody pronounce “ate” any other way than one would the number 8, and the other pronunciation makes me think of “eat” more than “ate”, as I read “et/ett”. ---
**Author:** ![manasicaje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@manasicaje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manasicaje)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/30 "2012-12-13T03:08:46Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Well, I am British. I think I mostly pronounce it “ett” (unless I am emphasizing it, or paying some special attention. However, I spent 20 years living in the United States (mostly California, never the Deep South) and I never noticed that Americans say it (what to me would be) oddly. I grew up in Australia then moved to the UK for 7 years… I was shocked to hear Brits pronounce “ate” as “ett” instead of “eight”. I can say with certainty that I had never heard the “ett” pronunciation in Australia before. I’ve subsequently moved around and lived in Canada, Singapore and back in Australia for a while. Once again, I am 100% certain I never heard the “ett” pronunciation in these other countries. I’ve now been living outside of Britain for 8 years and, last night, was watching a British TV show and heard the “ett” pronunciation, and it sounded just as unfamiliar as when I first arrived on the sunny shores of England! 🙂 In my experience, “ett” is definitely a UK pronunciation, but “ett-pronouncers” can use the “eight” pronunciation interchangeably… that is probably why British folks are unlikely to notice either the presence or absence of “ett” in a particular geography… both forms are familiar. I had another thought… although I’ve worked and travelled throughout the US (including the South) I’m definitely not as familiar with this region. But a lot of the discussion on this board has mentioned the “ett” pronunciation in certain parts of the US. To me, I think this is a different phenomenon… this sounds like an accent or “way of speaking” as opposed to a **different pronunciation**. As I mentioned above, “ett-pronouncers” can use the “eight” pronunciation interchangeably so it’s definitely not related to accent in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/31 "2012-12-13T04:38:07Z")
Meet met. Eat ett. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525/32 "2012-12-13T04:39:49Z")
Teacher: Billy, what did you have for breakfast? You got some of it on your shirt. Billy: I et three eggs. Teacher: Don’t you mean “ate?” Billy: No ma’am, I only et three. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-ate/637525.md?page=1)