How do you pronounce either and neither?

I pronounce them either way :)


Great Plains US speaker here. I use both interchangeably haha. I *think* the rule for me is approximately "first one in the sentence gets i, second gets aɪ?" But it feels like there would be exceptions. edit: perhaps more accurately: if it's at the beginning of the sentence, it's i. "Either or" is i. "both, and neither" gets aɪ.

I would sometimes say *either* pronunciation, but I generally say it with the /i/. I’m from and always lived in a region that is between the south and the middle plains of America so I have elements of southern accents, the midwestern accent, and the general American accent

Either either or either, either neither or neither.

ie-ther and nie-ther

I say both, for both words. I have though about when I use which one and there seems to be no pattern as to why I choose one pronounciation over the other, I just do. I am English, from the South of England so have what would be called an RP accent. However, I moved to Scotland when I was 26 and have lived here for over 30 years

I'm in the U.S. (Ohio). I pronounce them both ways. I'm trying to figure out if there's a rhyme or reason as to whether I use one or the other depending on the situation. I suppose I say ee-ther and nee-ther when I use them in combination with "or" and "nor," but tend to use the aye-ther and naye-ther when using them alone. So, I might say something like "You can wear ee-ther your shoes or your boots. Aye-ther one is fine." I think I almost use aye-ther and naye-ther for emphasis. Is that just me?

Huh. I just realized I pronounce both words both ways depending on context. For reference I’m from the southern part of the US, but have lived a good portion of my life in northern states, and am now somewhat in the middle of the eastern seaboard. Picking between two items, and couched within a full sentence: “ee-ther & nee-ther” Picking between two items but responding with the singular word - or - as the very first or last word of the sentence: “eye-ther & n-eye-ther”. I have no idea why 🤷‍♀️

Scottish guy here. Both end with a hard r, but it can change between vowels.

From the U.S. in Ohio and I pronounce it a short “i”, but some people pronounce them both with a long “i”. I think it’s a regional thing or just the way people were taught to pronounce them by their families.

Personally, “eye-ther” and “n-eye-ther” but “ee-ther, nee-ther” is equally acceptable. It often depends on where you’re from.

I usually to visit the website wordreference, it's great for this and more

izer and nizer

As a Canadian I will use both pronunciations for both words. I can’t tell you exactly why, but it’s probably a phonetic thing revolving around the other words in the sentence making one pronunciation or another easier to say. Kinda like how people say “mom and dad” a lot more than “dad and mom”, because “and dad” can be spoken easier

It's really personal preference. I use both pronunciations based on how I feel and how the sentence sounds. A few words are like that. xD

I actively use both and I don't know what the rule is. And at this point I've overanalyzed my own speech that I've forgotten which one I use most often.

I say ee-ther and nee-ther. My (adult) daughter says eye-ther and ny-ther. I don't know where she got it from, because it wasn't from me or my husband. I think my son says it the same way as me All of us are in the Midwest USA.

I say /ˈiː.ðɚ/ and /ˈniː.ðɚ/

I normally use the /iː/ pronunciations.

Let's call the whole thing off [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s\_Call\_the\_Whole\_Thing\_Off](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Call_the_Whole_Thing_Off)

Usually with the "ee" sound, but will occasionally slip into "eye".

I use both but found it helpful to tell my kids when they were first learning to spell/read that when they encounter a new word with “ei” or “ie” the most common pronunciation rule is to say the second vowel as a long vowel ei=aye ie=ee. The exception for “neighbor” where it’s pronounced as long “a”still screws things up, but as a general rule…

Ee-thur and nee-thur I’m from the Great Lakes region of the US.

Personally I feel that I only use (eye)ther when I'm trying to be more intentional or professional in what I'm saying. Feels ~1% more high-brow, but I have no idea why.

It's not regional - they are in complete and free variation, usually speakers don't use one or the other exclusively.

Aither and neether

Southeastern U.S. here. I hear them said both ways, probably more commonly as ee-ther/nee-ther, which is the way I say it. But born are so often used that it probably wouldn't even register to me if someone said it the other way.

I say eye-ther and nigh-ther but I've never seen any particular pattern for how people arrive at a pronunciation. Most importantly, both are completely acceptable in literally any context, from a street-corner drug deal to oral arguments at the US Supreme Court. It does not matter AT ALL how you pronounce them.

They both have two correct pronunciations and native speakers typically use both at different times, often depending on where they occur in the sentence and what sounds precede them. It is largely idiosyncratic.

The vowel sound being an "ee" (as in "neat") or an "ai" (as in "pie") in both words is really a matter of personal preference and word order more than region. I'm from Northeast US and I've used both pronunciations for both words and have heard both pronunciations for both words.

I tend to pronounce ‘i’ more than ‘e’ (sorry I don’t know the phonetic alphabet lol) but both are entirely acceptable

Nayther. But seriously, I use the "ee" pronunciations.

I use both of them, but usually /i/. No idea when I use each one. Originally from the western US, lived in the south for 6 years.

It fully depends on the context. "Me neither" nee-thur. Nai-thur sounds wrong. Most people I know would actually say "me either" instead, but with the same pronunciation, ee-thur. Also, I don't know how to distinguish between "th" sounds. It's not like "thought" or "therapy". Its less...soft. more like in "the" or "this". And i literally just realized that we have more than one th sound. Damn idk how anyone learns this nonsense 😹 Anyway, tangent over. "Which one do you like?" "I could do either one" eye-thur or ee-thur "Neither of them" probably nee-thur. "Neither A nor B" nai-thur for sure. So, technically, both are absolutely correct, but depending on region and just what we grew up hearing, sometimes it will sound unnatural. But that's ok. Because it varies so much even between English speakers I doubt anyone would even mention it if it sounded wrong to them. I am from the USA, California.

Either, either Neither, neither Let's call the whole thing off

I use both pronunciations of both words and I don’t think I have a system I could use to explain why I choose the one I choose when I choose it.

I'm in the Pacific Northwest and pronounce it both ways, but typically with the unstressed /ˈnaɪ.ðɚ/ . If asked to repeat, I'll commonly stress the syllable to /ˈniː.ðɚ/ . Same goes for either

Aythèr

Depends on context.

Depends on my mood.

Eether and neether for me.

eee-th-uh and knee-th-uh Anyone have a better way to break down the "th" sound?

Neither is almost always /ˈniː.ðɚ/ but either could be /ˈiː.ðɚ/ /ˈaɪ.ðɚ/

E

Ironically, I use both

I actually pronounce the th as an f sound usually. But i usually use the ee vowel.

They mean different things to me depending on the pronunciation.  /ˈiː.ðɚ/ to me implies one or the other. A or B, but not both. /ˈaɪ.ðɚ/ implies either one, whatever is fine.  /ˈnaɪ.ðɚ/ /ˈniː.ðɚ/ are similar, but I guess you can't really apply the same concept - but /ˈniː.ðɚ/ feels more emphatic, absolutely no vs just no. IDK if that's just a me thing - I did move around between regional regions of the US growing up with about half my time spent in Michigan and half spent in Kentucky, so I have a lot of random quirks.

From Great Lakes region, live in Mid-Atlantic region, have always said both versions of both words. There are SOME phrases where I will generally use one or the other. If I say "me neither," I think it's always or almost always going to be /i:/. If I say "neither \[x\] nor \[y\]," it's most likely going to be /aɪ/, though maybe not as strictly as the former. There may be other examples, but honestly it depends on context, content, mood, and the words and sounds that come before and after.

It really isn't regional. Everyone I know just picks one at random every time they use it. Sometimes they'll use both versions in one sentence.

Eye-ther, and Knee-ther. To use other words as stand-in. Though I suspect the reason neither isn't typically pronounced similar to either is for easier speech recognition, like finite (fine-night) and infinite (in-fin-it). If the English language has an actual universal rules, I haven't found it

Both for both. They are entirely interchangeable for me.

either: eye-durr neither: knee-durr

With the "e" sound as you'd pronounce "tree". I'm from West Yorkshire

Ee-ther, Eye-ther Nee-ther, Nye-ther Yep, I use both pronunciations of both words interchangeably with no obvious pattern. I'm from the USA: southwest, southeast, and currently reside between central/northeast.

I use both pronunciations but more frequently say “nee-ther” and “ee-ther”. I live in the southern US.

/ˈnaɪ.ðɚ/ and /ˈaɪ.ðɚ/. I'm from Ukraine; we were taught something akin to Standard British English and with books published by Pearson.

From Michigan and west New York - I usually pronounce "Neither" as with 'knee" instead of "nye"; and "Either" with "ee" instead of "eye". Sometimes I'll use the other pronunciation, but I don't really have any hard and fast rules.

I honestly say both. My parents are from a different region, moved here when I was 2, and we live near a major military base and port, so people come in and out all the time. Isn’t language fun?

I think about this every time I listen to a dominos ad. Their slogan is "we didn't stop at pizza, and you don't have to either" -- I always notice which way the voice actor says it. I am more likely to say Ee-ther and Nee-ther but I am sure I've said Eye-ther and Neye-ther at some time in my life. 

Scots: I pronounce both both ways.

I'm from Arkansas/Texas and I say the /ˈaɪ.ðɚ/ and /ˈnaɪ.ðɚ/ variant, but I'm in the minority.

For most, they are in what’s called “free variation”, essentially they are completely interchangeable. I personally slant heavily towards /i:/, from the Northeast US.

Typically so the first "ei" sounds like "eye," but I've used the other pronunciation before as well, just not as often. From the Midwest

I use whichever pronunciation sounds better to me in the sentence I’m using it in.

Nee-thur and eee-thur. Or eye-thur if I'm feeling fancy. I really do switch back and forth but primarily go with the eeee sounds

My default would be /ˈaɪ.ðər/ and /ˈnaɪ.ðər/ , but I do occasionally notice myself using the alternative. (UK RP)

I don't like apples. -Me neither. It sounds nicer with [i:] (ee) im this case.

My rule is, if they are in the same sentence they have to be pronounced the same way! I would say Neither (neether/naither) outfit is cute but either (eether/eyether )of the previous! But never have the different pronunciations in the same sentence. “eyether of the last two, Neether of these two outfits will do!” Sounds weird.

Either ee-thur or ee-thur. You want to make it a hard "th" by vocalizing while pronouncing. Otherwise, you might pronounce ether.

To rhyme with breather. I’m sure I sometimes say them the other way.

I'm not familiar with the pronunciation thing you've used. E-ther like her with a th sound in front for either same idea with neither (knee-ther). Hope this helps

I switch between saying “ni va” and “nee va” and “eye va” “ee va”

Eye-the

It's not easily determined by region, I can say both in one conversation

It depends. On its own, Ai or Nai. It all comes down to how I’m using it really. In a sentence it’s however it comes off based on the rest of what I’m saying so both

Eye-ther and n-eye-ther if its at the start of a sentence and ee-ther and n-ee-ther if its in the middle 😆 or just me?

Honestly I say it differently every time

I actually use it as a saying "either or either". It quite literally refers back to the fact you can say it both ways to imply both options are acceptable.

If I needed to choose i-ther a or b, if I didn’t care I’d just choose ee-ther one

i pronounce with /ai/ when i'm being fancy and /i/ when i'm being casual

Honestly, I use both EEther and EYEther, NEEther and N-EYE-ther depending on the sentence. I have no idea how I choose lol. Canada here.

Either= E-THUR or EYE-THUR Neither= NEE-THUR or NIE-THUR USA in the South! Memphis Tennessee to be exact.

I fluctuate. Edit: GenX raised in Alabama, with parents from the US west.

I also say both (NC)

Both. Sometimes one or the other sounds “right” in context. There’s actually a song about this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LOILZ_D3aRg

Ee-ther or eye-ther. Nee-ther or nye-ther. Was actually discussing this with my tween daughter last month. We seem to hear and use both where I live in Australia. Probably more often it's the ee-ther and nee-ther that we say and hear.

Western US, California. I sound as is Iowa, I don't know the IPA for it. Neither way is wrong, I just prefer the one sound to the other.

Both ways. Northeast US. It depends almost entirely on the sentence. At the beginning, always “Ai”. In the middle, then “ee”, unless it’s following another word with an “ee” sound. This is generally speaking, and done relatively instinctively, so I definitely break these rules all the time.

It depends on the context, and, nope, I'm afraid I can't give examples. They just come out the way they come out in different contexts.

Mostly grew up in NYC “neither” I usually pronounce NEE-thur but depending on context I sometimes do the other way (eg “neither this nor that”) “either” is always EE-thur

Either either and neither, or either and neither.

Eye-ther and neye-ther

Whatever cryptic runes mean eye-ther nigh-ther

Both ways. But more often with /i/. I'm sure if you made a corpus of my speech and analyzed it, you could find a rule that determines when I use which, but as far as I can tell, it's pretty arbitrary.

I've heard both, but personally I say ee-ther and nee-ther from australia

People often change the pronunciation seemingly at random. I know I use both pronunciations, and I couldn't tell the reasoning. It must be something subconscious about how it fits into the overall sound of the sentence. Just yesterday I noticed a student of mine started to say "ee-thur" while reading a sentence aloud and switched to "i-thur." (He's not technically a native speaker, but has been fully fluent since elementary.) Something in the sentence made him subconsciously think the other pronunciation fit the sentence better.

I would say either/both in most cases except for "me neither" that's always neether I speak English from southern England, but I've had a bunch of international influence

Tend to use all pronunciations at different times. Wales here

I say it either way, but I think I use the “ee-ther” pronunciation more often than “eye-ther.” I’m Irish.

The schwa with a hook character at the end of the IPA transcription above implies a rhoticized pronunciation (saying the word with an *r* sound). This is a phenomenon associated with certain "rural" accents in the UK (e.g. the West Country or East Anglia), or with American English

personally eether and neether, but I can go either way

I vary how I pronounce these according to mood. Ee-thur; nee-thur Eye-thur; n-eye-thur

I say "EYE-ther" instead of "E-ther", but both ways are completely acceptable to native English speakers.

From upstate NY I say e-th-er not I-th-er

(ee-thur) (knee-thur) or (eye-thur) (nigh-thur)

I use both pronunciations. Maybe about 60% /iː/ sound, if I were to guess. If there's a pattern or reason as to which one I choose at any given moment, I don't know what it is. Grew up in midwestern US, but have lived all over the US since then.

Either either or either, either neither or neither.