Ahnt

that is sofunny, ive been liveing in NC for 7 yrs, i was so confused why everyone said ant. i didnt even know it was boston slang.

that is sofunny, ive been liveing in NC for 7 yrs, i was so confused why everyone said ant. i didnt even know it was boston slang.

Why anyone would say ANT for A-U-N-T is beyond me. I would even go so far as to say, "wicked retahded!". Ants are insects; the u is in there for a reason. :)

I've been saying "Ahnt" my whole, life, that's how I was taught to say it. I'm from New Jersey, but my family is from Fitchburg and Braintree. Always wondered why I said it differently from my friends!

Sometimes people say "ant" instead of "aahnt" for aunt. It depends sometimes on the part of the Boston area. In Cambridge I more often heard the former than the latter.

Boston is amazing. auuuunttt

i dont think its just a boston thing...

Take a look at this Web page:http://venus.soci.niu.edu/~archives/SSSITALK/july03/0139.htmlApparently, the pronunciation "ant" was considered the *proper* pronunciation until near the end of the 18th century, while the pronunciation "ahnt" was considered "rustic" - the common folk said it that way. Then in Britain "ahnt" became acceptable, and apparently the educated upper class in New England and Virginia also gave way to that pronunciation, while the rest of the new nation stayed with the "proper" pronunciation "ant".Being from Nashua NH originally, I of course have always used the correct pronunciation "ahnt". :-) I agree with Chris's earlier comment: the U is there for a reason!

yes jen.. it is just a massachusetts thing

no, its not just a mass thing. im from ri, and i both "ant" and "aunt" are used equally here.

Growing up in NH I often heard it as Arnt

I'm originally from Dorchester but my family moved to Maine and everyone there says "ahnt" instead of "Ant" so I really don't think it is just a Mass thing.

maine wishes they were boston. flat out.

I've lived in Minnesota all my life. Most of the people here say "ahnt". I rarely hear it pronounced "ant".

my dad is from pittsfield, we live in detroit now, and he says it like this...it's so funny!

my dad says it like this...he grew up in pittsfield

'Antie' sounds silly. 'Ahntie' all the way.

i grew up in central mass...and everyone says it like 'arnt'

HELLO---- for all of you people thinking that "AHNT" is meaning to be pronounced "ANT" you're wrong. Idiots. Go to Boston and you'll hear that practically nobody says "ANT". Wicked Ridiculous. Byeee!

Don't forget that with a Boston accent, "ahnt" also means "aren't". To me, the pronunciations for "aunt" and "aren't" have always been exactly the same. For instance, "My ahnt and uncle are runnin' late. They ahn't gonna be heah for awhile yet."

Don't forget that with a Boston accent, "ahnt" also means "aren't". To me the pronunciations for "aunt" and "aren't" have always been exactly the same. For instance, "My ahnt and uncle are runnin' late. They ahn't gonna be heah for awhile yet."

It's a New England-wide trait. I grew up in Connecticut and never heard "ant" until I went to school in Pennsylvania, where the locals thought I talked funny.

This is a good one. I actually think most dictionaries prolly show the preferred pronounciation as "ahnt." I used to say it that way back in R.I. Here in California, people will think you are extremely stuck up if you say "ahnt." Though, trust me, I'm still used to thinking of ants as those things that crawl on the ground and bug you during picnics! I also figured "ant" was some dumbass pronunciation that people took out of cowboy movies or somethin and then just kept using it because they thought it must be what everyone said.So, you know there's got to be a town somewhere in America where the East side says "ahnt" and the West side says "ant."People in California also refer to anything eastward as "back East." As if they're thinking about their covered wagon journey to here.

it's definitely not *just* a mass thing. i was born and raised in california, still live here, and i have always pronounced aunt as "ant" as has everyone else. i can't think of anyone that has ever said "ahnt."

Um Alythia, we say "AHNT". We never said only people in mass say "ant", they say "ahnt". Why dont u read next time?????

my whole family lives in mass and i was born there and lived there until i was 5. i learned to say ahnt but i stopped when i moved to florida because everyone says ant and no one knew what i was saying.

I never even knew aunt was ever said ant until I was watching tv and someone called his aunt with the "ant" pronunciation. I has to ask what one Earth the kid meant. Just don't get it. Also, I have noticed that black people outside of New England seem to say "ahnt" more than "ant" far more than others outside of New England. Does anyone have a reason?

It's amazing to me how a group of people that so regularly obliterate the English language (New Englander's) will attack others that may pronounce a word differently. A previous poster mentioned that the "U" is in the word for a reason. How about the "H" in where? The "K" in knife? What about the fact that the letter "R" seems to be non-existent in Boston and vicinity? As I see it, these are just regional differences in pronunciation, in much the same way that the US has a very different way of pronouncing words than does England or Australia. I personally find varying dialects interesting.

Drop the "r" in words? How is it that my Boston family all say "Cuber" when talking about the island off the coast of Florida?

A good percentage of the Boston & vicinity population DO drop the "R" quite often. Take a look at any television show or movie that has been filmed in this State - and you'll hear how these actors will try and drop that " R " on purpose!I know I drop my R's from time to time - and my family is Boston born and raised - but, we know how to pronounce the country of Cuba without an "R" in it.

I say ahnt i live in Illinois but all of my family lives back east i get made fun of all the time. when i first moved to IL i was like what doesnt everyone say it that way?

Ahnt is the right way to pronounce it. I always tell people that an ant is a six legged insect.

aahnt is correct in new england. the only ant i will 'fess to saying is Antie Emm from The Wizard of Oz. i was born in/on nantucket and raised in neu beige. when i left, westerners made fun of my accent; so much so, that i trained myself in very little time to pronounce r's and such. i've been back in new england for 20 years now and kick myself every time i hear an authentic northeast accent (that i love). one of my favorite nurses says "high deah! how aah yew? i caahn't WAIT to try yaw cawfee." i think she's from brookline. crescent fresh!

It's pronounced Ant here in Ohio, spelled Aunt. Someone said that there is a reason that the h is in there, yeah, the same reason that sew & so are spelled differently. They are both pronounced the same. They are just spelled differently so when you are reading you know what someone is talking about.i.e. My AUNT likes to sew ants on shirts so leave her alone!!See.. now you know.. And if Ahnt is the correct way then why does my spell checker show it wrong but shows Aunt as correct??Huh.. Very good question!! Lear to say it right or don't say it.Peace!

I grew up in Westie, and there an ant is a bug you squish in the summertime. An Aunt is your uncle's wife. Since Bostonians have been speaking English longer than the rest of of America we know these things

I was born and raised in Boston, but my sister and her husband were born in NJ and raised all over the country. Now they have a daughter, and it sets my teeth on edge when she calls me "Ant J"! It's all I can do to refrain from correcting a four-year-old ("Aunt, aunt... remember there's a U!").And I totally second Mark Martel's sentiment as well. :)

I've always said ahnt, and I always will. I'm originally from seacoast NH. My grandparents were from MA, and my mother grew up in MA and NH. My husband says ant. My children use ahnt for an ahnt on my side of the family and ant for an ahnt on my husband's side. (He's from California.)

I love this word cuz my ahnt is my fav person n i hate it when people try to correct me n say, "It's ant!" as if theyah tryin ta say my ma has a bug for a sista. lol I hate that but it's funny

no it's not just a boston or a MA thing. it is also a southern thing as well

i have always heard "ant" on tv and stuff but ive always said "ahnt" or "ahntie".

yeah, this isn't a boston thing. I'm from PGH,PA and everyone says ant. My roomates are from chicago, alabama, and denver and say ant. The only Aahnter is from NH.Probably its just certain regions thing...like the pop/soda debate. Varies and has pockets everywhere.

yeah, this isn't a boston thing. I'm from PGH,PA and everyone says ant. My roomates are from chicago, alabama, and denver and say ant. The only Aahnter is from NH.Probably its just certain regions thing...like the pop/soda debate. Varies and has pockets everywhere.

My mother was from Acton, and my father from Brooklyn. Each had two siblings, all married. So I have four uncles, two ahnts, and two ants.

It's also used in place of are not, as in aren't. Ahnt you comin' ova now? (Aren't you coming over now?) Those ahnt my shoes. They belong my my ahnt Alice.

Aunt is an "au" sound as in haunt. I don't know why people on this board are spelling with an "h" to illustrate since the "u" should be obvious enough but people seem to misunderstand the "u". I know that my aunts would be utterly insulted if I called them ant. I don't call my uncles beetle either.Also, please stop talking about the dropped "r" in Boston. It's not dropped it's just pronounced the way the rest of Europe pronounces the letter. Other parts of the country may misunderstand since movies often portray atrocious Boston accents. The "r" is just gutteral as it is in British English and German. We are people not circus seals - no need to go around saying "ar, ar, ar".

Does nobody else in the country pronounce "Auhnt" correctly? I could never understand why people called their Auhnt an insect. Being an Auhnt is a honah!