Pronunciation · Everyday language

How to pronounce either

Either has two accepted forms in CMUdict, EE-ther (IY1 DH ER0) and EYE-ther (AY1 DH ER0); both use the voiced th of "this".

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The dictionary sound sequence

CMUdict lists these 2 North American English pronunciations for either. Read each sequence from left to right. The numbers mark vowel stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

Dictionary variant 1

IY1 DH ER0

Syllable estimate: 2 vowel nuclei
Primary stress: 1st vowel position

Dictionary variant 2

AY1 DH ER0

Syllable estimate: 2 vowel nuclei
Primary stress: 1st vowel position

Check either in Merriam-Webster and listen to available dictionary audio.

Syllable counts come from vowel tokens; CMUdict does not supply syllable boundaries here. Variant order follows the dictionary and does not rank correctness. This lexicon does not represent every accent or context.

Use either in context

Either is one of the most common words with two accepted pronunciations, and people still argue about it. The dictionary lists both openings with equal standing. What matters in a recording is choosing one and keeping it, including for neither.

You can pay either by card or in cash.
I don't think either of them saw the message.

Read the sound tokens

Each example word below is a cue for the named sound, rather than a respelling of either. Unstressed vowels may sound reduced. These cues follow the CMU phoneme-set key (Appendix A).

IYsound in eatvowel

DHsound in theeconsonant

ERsound in hurtvowel

AYsound in hidevowel

Take it to your next recording

Make an audition worksheet

Select a dictionary variant for your checklist. The two original sentences retain their normal spelling; this worksheet helps you review a recording rather than forcing a speech engine to use phonemes.

Worksheet pronunciation variant

Your plain-text audition worksheet

How to pronounce either

Word: either
Dictionary variant: 1 of 2
CMUdict ARPABET: IY1 DH ER0
Vowel nuclei / estimated syllables: 2
Primary stress: 1st vowel position

ORIGINAL AUDITION SCRIPT
You can pay either by card or in cash.
I don't think either of them saw the message.

REVIEW CHECKLIST
[ ] Read both sentences naturally; keep the source wording.
[ ] Compare the intended pronunciation with the selected dictionary variant.
[ ] Listen for vowel sounds, consonants, and word stress in context.
[ ] Check with a speaker or another dictionary when accent or meaning matters.
[ ] Generate and listen to a short Murmur sample before exporting the full script.

Practice note: Record both examples using your usual form. Then check any neither in the same script and match its first vowel.

CMUdict is a North American English lexicon, not a recording or a complete accent guide.
Variant order is dictionary order; it is not a ranking of correctness.
Source: https://github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/blob/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/cmudict.dict
Source commit: 74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690
License: https://www.murmurtts.com/downloads/cmudict-license.txt
Reference: https://www.murmurtts.com/pronunciation/either

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Dictionary source

The phonemes on this page come from CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. The dictionary maintainers acknowledge that errors and omissions can remain; check another source or a speaker when the pronunciation matters.

CMUdict README · Included dictionary license

Source version and checksum

Commit: 74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690

Dictionary SHA-256: 81917843c7f44ce2b094ac63873c2c7a4cf802040792c455ba3ca406891c3d22

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