I’ve always been a bit puzzled by the number of people I encounter pronouncing it the latter. (Either is acceptable, according to M-W, so it’s not a matter of right or wrong.) Given my location (Southeastern US), I’d expect more of the former pronunciation. I know it’s not unusual, but not prevalent, in the local rural areas to hear it pronounced ‘EN-vellup,’ but among suburbanites, the latter prevails.
So, is there some geographical distribution to this? How do you pronounce it pronounced most often where you are?
I usually use “ehn-velope”, but I try to give equal time to “ahn-velope”. I use both and I, too, am just outside Detroit, Michigan.
I don’t do the dual pronunciation of “aunt”, however.
En-velope for me. I was born in Detroit but we moved to Seattle when I was three. I know plenty of people around here who say it the other way.
I have a question for those of you who say ahn-velope: do you still pronounce it that way when you mean “to surround?” An example would be “The smoke was just about to envelope the building when the firefighters rushed in to save the victims.”
Of course, we rarely use that version of the word in real life. I guess that’s why it would seem strange to me if I heard it pronounced ahn-velope.
Southern California native here, and I say “AHN-velope” and “en-VEL-op.” Just in case it’s related, I do also say “ahnt” instead of “ant” when referring to my father’s sister.
